Newsroom
OSCE trains Armenian police on countering domestic violence
YEREVAN 27 June 2003
YEREVAN, 27 June 2003 - An OSCE-organized training programme to enable Armenian police officers to more efficiently combat domestic violence is taking place this week in the country's capital, Yerevan.
"Domestic violence is an infringement of a person's fundamental human rights", said Tiina Illsen, Gender Adviser for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), at the opening of the event on 25 June. "Due to the complexity of the problem, it requires a comprehensive approach which involves close co-operation between law enforcement bodies, the judiciary and civil society. It is the objective of this workshop to create a platform for professional-to-professional discussion," she added.
The initiative is part of a large-scale training and awareness-raising programme developed by the ODIHR to assist Armenia and other OSCE participating States to combat gender-based violence. In Armenia, the programme is being implemented by the ODIHR, the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the non-governmental organization (NGO), Women's Rights Centre. Similar training sessions have already been conducted in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
"Police officers have their specific duties when it comes to combating domestic violence and we are determined to come up with effective measures to counter this problem," said Valery Khublaryan, Head of the Public Order Department of the Armenian Police Service.
A total of 30 high-level police officers are participating in the three-day meeting, which ends today. Discussions are focusing on the role of the police and the relevance of domestic violence to police work. Three guest speakers from Austria are introducing examples from a number of countries where the police are confronted with cases of domestic violence.
During the sessions, the participants have split into working groups to discuss issues related to personnel recruitment and organization, leadership and training, sensitive treatment of victims of domestic violence and co-operation with the authorities and non-governmental organizations.
"Domestic violence is an infringement of a person's fundamental human rights", said Tiina Illsen, Gender Adviser for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), at the opening of the event on 25 June. "Due to the complexity of the problem, it requires a comprehensive approach which involves close co-operation between law enforcement bodies, the judiciary and civil society. It is the objective of this workshop to create a platform for professional-to-professional discussion," she added.
The initiative is part of a large-scale training and awareness-raising programme developed by the ODIHR to assist Armenia and other OSCE participating States to combat gender-based violence. In Armenia, the programme is being implemented by the ODIHR, the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the non-governmental organization (NGO), Women's Rights Centre. Similar training sessions have already been conducted in Georgia and Azerbaijan.
"Police officers have their specific duties when it comes to combating domestic violence and we are determined to come up with effective measures to counter this problem," said Valery Khublaryan, Head of the Public Order Department of the Armenian Police Service.
A total of 30 high-level police officers are participating in the three-day meeting, which ends today. Discussions are focusing on the role of the police and the relevance of domestic violence to police work. Three guest speakers from Austria are introducing examples from a number of countries where the police are confronted with cases of domestic violence.
During the sessions, the participants have split into working groups to discuss issues related to personnel recruitment and organization, leadership and training, sensitive treatment of victims of domestic violence and co-operation with the authorities and non-governmental organizations.