News Desk: A one-day training workshop aimed at improving police handling of gender-based violence (GBV) cases was organised in Quetta, bringing together frontline police officers from across Balochistan.
The workshop was arranged by the Aurat Foundation in collaboration with UN Women and the Embassy of Germany in Islamabad. Held at Shaheed Hameed Shakeel Hall, the training focused on officers who are often the first point of contact for women and girls seeking protection from violence.
Building Sensitivity and Survivor-Centred Policing
The session aimed to strengthen the understanding, sensitivity and professional capacity of police personnel dealing with GBV survivors. Speakers highlighted that fear, stigma and complex legal procedures often discourage survivors from approaching law enforcement, making empathetic and confidential police response critical for access to justice.
Fauzia Shaheen opened the workshop with a discussion on key gender concepts, harmful social stereotypes and the emotional and social impact of gender-based violence on survivors and their families.
Legal expert Fatima Jahanzeb led a detailed session on gender-sensitive investigation techniques, survivor-focused referral pathways and legal protections available to women and girls. She emphasised trauma-informed policing and stronger coordination between police, legal and support institutions.
Institutions Call for Stronger Protection Systems
Yasmeen Mughal introduced the objectives of the Gender Parity Project, highlighting its focus on safety, dignity and institutional capacity-building to improve public service delivery across Balochistan.
Addressing participants, Muhammad Khalil shared insights into UN Women’s access-to-justice initiatives in the province. He underscored the importance of increasing women’s participation in the police and judiciary, establishing gender-responsive units, engaging community volunteers and creating safe spaces for survivors.
Allauddin Khilji praised the Balochistan Police for its commitment to improving GBV response services and acknowledged Israr Ahmed Umrani, AIG Gender, for recognising the need for specialised training for reporting officers and ensuring full institutional support for the initiative.
The workshop concluded with the distribution of certificates to participating officers by AIG Gender Israr Ahmed Umrani. Officers reaffirmed their commitment to adopting a more compassionate and survivor-centred approach in handling cases of gender-based violence.
Speakers and participants jointly stressed the need for sustained collaboration between state institutions and civil society to build a safer environment where women and girls can live without fear, access justice without barriers and have their dignity protected.
