UN Agency To Establish 'Gender Unit' At Rajasthan Police Academy

United Nations Population Fund will establish a 'Gender Unit' at Rajasthan Police Academy here to strengthen police response to gender-based violence, sources said.

The UN agency, formerly called United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), deals with issues related to sexual and reproductive health.

UNFPA India Representative Andrea Wojnar will inaugurate the unit at the Rajasthan Police Academy (RPA), which trains police officers and other cadres in the state on Monday, agency sources said.

Trainers at the academy will be given training on gender-related issues and legislations, including the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013.

The unit is being set up with the objective of capacity building, raising awareness, preparation of reference material on gender-based issues and legislation, strengthening evidence-based programming through studies on gender-based violence and harmful practices, among others.

"The partnership between UNFPA and RPA is to establish gender unit at the RPA, build capacities of police officers and other cadre especially those associated with Special Investigation Unit to address Crime against Women, Mahila Desk, Mahila thana and Mahila Suraksha Sakhi on gender responsive police services for girls and women,"the source said.

The unit will have two technical experts or consultants and also serve as a bank of knowledge management products.

The consultants will facilitate the roll out of trainings related to gender issues, implementation of the annual activities planned with the police academy, agency sources said.

The knowledge management products include training modules, videos, SOPs and handouts on the issue.

UNFPA will support the development of knowledge management products in the unit at the police academy and the mapping of existing training modules and materials.

To bridge existing gaps, new training modules/courses can be developed which can be further integrated into the courses, the sources said.

The police academy will provide the space at the academy and coordination support to set up the unit and support in the wider dissemination of knowledge products.

"This is an important initiative for which the UNFPA India representative is visiting Jaipur for the inauguration," the source said.

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