12/11/2024
FIIAPP has supported a series of trainings for police personnel designed to strengthen the institutional response to reports of violence against women.
As part of the global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals, Paraguay continues to take significant steps towards the elimination of gender-based violence. Through the Agenda 2030 Program, the country has implemented a series of courses aimed at the National Police, training more than 700 officers from three of the country’s territories (Central, Alto Paraná and Caaguazú). The training has brought together high-level technicians, officials from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
The training courses were developed along two lines and in two areas. The first focused on the general approach to violence against women with an innovative methodology that not only addresses the problem from a regulatory and police responsibility perspective, but also from an integral perspective that fosters empathy and recognizes the value of those who care for the victims on the front line. The second has focused on how to address violence against indigenous women in a comprehensive manner with a rights-based and intercultural perspective.
More than 700 police officers have received their certification upon completion of the training course promoted by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in conjunction with the National Police Command, the Ministry of the Interior, through the Higher Institute of Police Education (ISEPOL) and with the support of the Program.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Cynthia Figueredo, the Minister of the Interior, Enrique Riera Escudero; Maddalena Masucci, representing the European Union, and the coordinator of the Agenda 2030 program in Paraguay, Pilar Del Barrio.
The training focused on providing police officers with the knowledge and tools to effectively address situations of gender-based violence, ensuring a sensitive and adequate response to the needs of women victims. During the presentation of certificates, the importance of coordinated action among all ministries and agencies involved was emphasized. The Minister for Women, Cynthia Figueredo, highlighted the training as a crucial step towards a more peaceful and just Paraguay.
Maddalena Masucci, from the European Union, said that the training “is a very important milestone for Paraguayan society. We have to fight and break the cycle of violence. We have to share the idea and the desire to break this cycle. The law has to be lived. Society must change”.
In a more specialized approach, 30 police officers have graduated from the course on “Addressing Violence against Indigenous Women”, given at the Tape Jojarã Higher Technical Training Institute for Equity of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. This course represents the first group of officials trained specifically on the issues faced by indigenous women, who are particularly vulnerable to multiple forms of discrimination and violence.
During her closing speech, Minister Figueredo acknowledged the significant social debt of the State with indigenous communities and highlighted the importance of this training as a key element to improve governmental attention to these communities. The course not only provided practical skills, but also fostered greater awareness and sensitivity to the complexities of gender-based violence in specific cultural contexts.
