IPNEWS: A total of 25 members of the SGBV Protection Network and 30 core committee members from communities have undergone comprehensive training on gender, gender-based violence (GBV), behavior change, ethical principles, and advocacy. The training was conducted by the Psychosocial team and aimed at improving the network’s and committee members’ knowledge and skills in addressing SGBV in their communities.

The SGBV Protection Network is a watch team that helps prevent and respond to SGBV cases in the community. Meanwhile, the core committee members play a crucial role in advocating for and promoting SGBV prevention in their respective communities.

The training covered various topics, including gender and gender-based violence, community behavior change, ethical principles, advocacy approaches, essential steps of advocacy, stress and trauma-sensitive (STA) advocacy, basic knowledge about SGBV and trauma/traumatization, STA approach and principles in advocacy, and developing an advocacy work plan.

The Psychosocial team facilitated the training sessions to ensure that the participants gained a thorough understanding of the concepts and principles covered in the training. The sessions were interactive and participatory, allowing the participants to ask questions and engage in discussions.

The training is a part of the organization’s efforts to build the capacity of the SGBV Protection Network and core committee members to better address and prevent SGBV cases in their communities. With the knowledge and skills acquired from the training, the participants can effectively advocate for SGBV prevention, provide support to survivors, and create awareness about SGBV.

The SGBV Protection Network and core committee members are committed to using the knowledge and skills gained from the training to improve their advocacy efforts and prevent SGBV cases in their communities.

As one of the leading women’s rights organizations in Liberia, medica Liberia (mL) has over the years established itself as providing a safe haven for women experiencing gender-based violence. Since 2006, medica Liberia has provided psychosocial, legal, and reproductive health support for women and girls who experienced sexualized gender based-violence. The work has primarily been taking place in the southeastern part of Liberia, specifically Sinoe, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh counties. In 2016, mL extended its coverage to the urban counties of Montserrado and Margibi to serve urban counties that have similar cases of SGBV.