WHO is strengthening the health sector response to GBV in emergencies, and has begun activities to work with health providers and health organizations in Syria. In this framework WHO held a sub-national workshop in Aleppo on 30 October 2018.
In the seventh year of the crisis in the Syria, conflict continues to be the principal driver of humanitarian needs, with the civilian population in many parts of the country exposed to significant protection risks which threaten life, dignity and wellbeing on a daily basis. Women and girls are affected by multiple forms of violence, including intimate partner violence, child marriage, and sexual violence. Displaced women and girls are particularly vulnerable to such gender-based violence (GBV) and sometimes experience sexual exploitation simply to access basic goods and services for themselves and their families.
WHO is strengthening the health sector response to GBV in emergencies, and has begun activities to work with health providers and health organizations in Syria. In this framework WHO held a sub-national workshop in Aleppo on 30 October 2018.
The workshop was opened by the WHO Head of Country Office in Syria, Dr Elizabeth Hoff, and brought together participants from the Aleppo Directorate of Public Health, nongovernmental organizations and UN agencies. Discussions focused on the consequences of violence on women’s health, health system minimum requirements to facilitate care for women subjected to GBV, WHO tools to provide survivor-centered support, women's protection needs and inter-sectoral coordination.
A key outcome of the workshop was the decision to organize a training of trainers for health providers to equip them with the skills and knowledge to better support GBV providers. This training is tentatively scheduled for early 2019.