Gender-based violence (GBV) or violence against women and girls (VAWG), is a global pandemic that affects 1 in 3 women in their lifetime, according to a 2019 report by the World Bank. In efforts to combat this issue locally, faculty members of the Aga Khan University School of Nursing and Midwifery, AKU-SONAM, recently conducted a Community Mobilizers’ Training of Trainers on GBV, in the Chitral region, led by Professor Dr Tazeen Saeed Ali, associate dean of research and innovation, Zohra Jetha, senior instructor, and Ahad Salman, research specialist at the School.
The participants chosen were those well-connected with their communities so they prove effective in implementing the learnings of the workshop. These were individuals nominated by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s department of health, department of population welfare, and the department of youth development, as well as the District Health Office, Chitral, the Aga Khan Development Network, various NGOs and lady health workers of the region.
In 2020, a thorough need-based assessment was carried out in the same region to gauge the demand for an intervention to reduce gender-based violence, in which this need was identified. It was especially noted that healthcare and patient-care outcomes were being affected due to gender discrimination becoming a hurdle in healthcare-seeking behaviours among women and adolescent girls.
Learning outcomes of the workshop included a mapping of the respective Union Councils of each participant so they are aware of the vicinities they are responsible for, as well as a detailed guide on various teaching methodologies that can be utilised to educate their target audience.
In addition to lesson planning and teaching, lectures were also given on gender-based violence in light of religion as well as the police and justice system in the region. Advocate Mr Irfan Ahmed, expert in law and order and the judicial system, advised the group on the existing laws that protect the community against GBV, and the legal procedures established to support them in times of need.
The training included attendance from important regional stakeholders including Mr Wazir Zada, minister of minority affairs, Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr Imtiaz Ullah, coordinator, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, AKRSP, and Mr Meraj Shah, regional leader, Aga Khan Health Services, Pakistan, AKHSP.
