By Abubakarr Harding
As part of their efforts to see that Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) is brought to a minimum level in the country, Caritas Freetown engaged Police Officers of the Family Support Unity (FSU) from twenty different communities in the Western Area in a one day training session at the Twin Hall in Hastings within the Western Rural Area, on Friday the 10TH February 2023.
The training session focused on psychosocial approaches and Case Management by FSU personnel.
SGBV continues to be a major concern in Sierra Leone, with women and girls being disproportionately affected. The situation is further compounded by a lack of access to justice and limited awareness of hygiene practices.
The training programme dealt with topics such as Case Management, the role of police officers in child protection and the role of FSU in combating SGBV.
Kumba Emmanuelle Gando, an official of Caritas Freetown, intimated that the purpose of the training session was to engage FSU personnel drawn from twenty (20) communities on psychosocial approaches and Case Management handling mechanisms.
She added that even though they might have undergone similar trainings like this, however, they want to capacitate them more maintaining how the training will serve as a refresher to some of them.
Kumba expressed the view that SGBV survivor cases are not easy to handle assuring that the training will help them in whatever work they will be doing in relation to survivors within the Western Rural area.
She further disclosed that there will be quarterly engagements of FSU personnel saying this is the first session adding  that at the end of the program they are expected to have developed new skills on how to handle SGBV cases.
The training was well received by the Police Officers, who expressed their commitment to apply the knowledge and skills they gained during the session in their daily work.
They also emphasized the importance of working together with other stakeholders to create a more enabling environment for women and girls relating to SGBV.
In an interview with one of the beneficiaries, the Line Manager from the Newton Police Division, Inspector David Moseray Brima, he stated that the training session was a step in the right direction in addressing the challenges faced by vulnerable women and girls in the Western Area.
He maintained that by strengthening the capacity of Police Officers to respond to cases of SGBV, Caritas Freetown is making a tangible contribution towards ending SGBV in Sierra Leone.
Caritas Freetown, it was underscored, will continue to work with them to end SGBV for vulnerable women and girls in the country.
