The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC), in collaboration with the Pacific Women’s Network against Violence against Women and UN Women, launched the Gender-Based Violence Counsellor Training Package last week to strengthen the counselling workforce.
FWCC co-ordinator Shamima Ali said they collaborated with the Pacific Women’s Network against Violence Against Women, and UN Women in response to a need for a uniform and consistent approach to counsellor training in the region.
“We at the FWCC, collaborated with the Pacific Women’s Network Against Violence Against Women, and UN Women in adapting the counsellor training materials previously developed and used by the FWCC across the region over the last three decades, for this training package,” she said.
“The package has been adapted to be used by new and experienced trainers from Pacific Island countries working on violence against women and girls’ and women’s human rights.”
Representative for UN Women Fiji multi-country office Sandra Bernklau said gender-based violence counsellors were critical frontline service workers and Pacific women human rights defenders.
“This regional gender-based violence counselling curriculum will undeniably strengthen the gender-based violence counselling workforce at the national and regional level to sustain the availability and quality of services for years to come,” she said.
The Gender-Based Violence Counsellor Training Package is composed of three modules with a total of 20 sessions.
The training program aims to develop the competencies outlined in the Competency Framework for Basic Domestic Violence/Gender-Based Violence Counselling, with a focus on applying a survivor-centred approach to gender-based counselling services.
