DILI – Over 20 police officers from Policia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL) had graduated from a specialized two-week training course on Gender Based Violence (GBV) investigations.  The training was developed to strengthen the capacity and skills of police officers when investigating cases of GBV and domestic violence, and as part of the government’s three-year National Action Plan on GBV. The training was supported by the Spanish Cooperation’s MDG Achievement Fund on Gender.

The incidence of GBV in Timor-Leste remains alarmingly high. According to the 2010 Demographic Health Survey, 38 per cent of women between the ages of 15 and 49 had experienced physical abuse since the age of 15, with the main perpetrators being husbands or intimate partners. However, many cases of GBV remain unreported and go without punishment.

It is hoped that the training will provide PNTL police officers with the necessary skills to conduct successful investigations, and strengthen their role in preventing and reducing the high incidence of GBV in the future.  The training will also support them in ensuring survivors of GBV have access to referral networks for emergency medical care, psychosocial support and legal assistance.

Melita Zielonko from the Timor-Leste Police Development Programme explained that one of the unique aspects of the training is that it’s the first time the course has been delivered to police officers outside of the Vulnerable Persons Unit. It is hoped that after the training, a broader section of PNTL’s police force will understand more  about the nature of GBV, how to deal with victims of domestic violence, and how to conduct  investigations in a more effective and efficient manner.   The new graduates are also expected to train other members of PNTL.

In his speech, Police Commissioner Luis Miguel Carrilho commended PNTL’s achievements over the past few years, and said that the new graduates would be the ones to carry the message forward to reach other officers in PNTL, to support the victims of GBV and contribute in the nation-building process.

For more information, please contact: 
Karen Reidy, tel. +670 331 2618, reidy@unfpa.org