Police University Conducts 'Sexual Violence Response Capacity Building' Training for Senior Congolese Officials

Photo by National Police Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The Korean National Police University announced on the 21st that it conducted an online training program from the 12th to the 20th of this month for 21 senior officials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo's National Police Agency, Gender Department, and Health Department on "Strengthening Capacity to Respond to Gender-Based Violence."

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has experienced a long civil war, is a country with a very high incidence of sexual violence, especially crimes against women. The Korean National Police University, together with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), is implementing a three-year project starting this year called "Promotion of Gender Equality and Strengthening Capacity to Respond to Gender-Based Violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo" to protect victims of sexual violence. This training aims to enhance the capacity of Congolese government officials to respond to gender-based violence, including measures to activate local one-stop centers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The training was jointly conducted by international organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), as well as domestic specialized institutions including the Seoul Sunflower Center, the Korea Women's Human Rights Institute, and the Korean National Police University. Due to COVID-19, the program was held remotely with local trainees, allowing mutual sharing of experiences from each country. The training covered a variety of topics ranging from policy formulation to practical techniques, including ▲ Korea's policies for responding to gender-based violence ▲ operation methods of the Sunflower Center ▲ victim investigation techniques.