From 28 to 30 January, a training seminar was held for professionals on preventing and combating gender-based violence, including conflict-related domestic and sexual violence (CRSV). The event was organised by the High School of Public Governance, the National Training Centre for the Prevention of Gender-Based Violence, in cooperation with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, with financial support from the European Union.

The participants included representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the court and the police, as well as local government representatives from Kharkiv region. During the event, they discussed in detail the role of cooperation between different structures in addressing domestic violence, the most common form of gender-based violence. It was emphasised that effective interagency cooperation is the basis for a comprehensive approach to the problem, which includes prevention, rapid response and subsequent rehabilitation of victims. The participants stressed the importance of coordinating efforts between law enforcement agencies, medical institutions, social services, educational institutions and NGOs. Such coordinated work allows for the rapid detection of cases of violence, the provision of necessary assistance to victims and the implementation of prevention programmes aimed at reducing the risk of recurrence.

It was also noted that interagency cooperation significantly increases the effectiveness of work in crisis situations, in particular during the crisis, where a special level of cooperation and a clear delineation of responsibilities of each agency is required.

The seminar was a significant step in strengthening interagency cooperation, which will contribute to more effective counteraction to gender-based violence, in particular in issues related to CRSV.