The Spotlight Initiative Project continues its County level Coordination trainings across the country.

The workshops are focusing on County level mechanisms designed to operationalize and enhance coordination of Women and Children Protection Sections (WACPS) and Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV) Crime Units to effectively investigate sexual violence cases and provide Psycho-social counselling to victims or survivors of SGBV and harmful practices.

At the start of the two-day event in Montserrado County,  the Acting Director, SGBV-Crimes Unit of the Ministry of Justice (MOJ0 stressed that it was important to strengthen coordination, to ensure that prosecution of cases is achieved in a timely and professional manner.

Cllr. Isaac L. George, Jr. called on the trainees to use the training to learn, share knowledge and work as a team, to master the ideas of coordination.

On behalf of UNDP, James Monibah of the Governance portfolio mentioned that the result of the training is to aid prosecution.

Monibah said the idea of preserving evidence, reporting and coordination speaks volumes.

He wants information provided by stakeholders, to speak to each other, ensuring that beneficiaries accessing services have a clear understanding of the processes involved.

Topics covered by participants at the training include: Evidence Gathering & Prevention, Crime Scene & Statement Taking, Testifying in Court including SGBV Referral Pathway; Management of SGBV Cases and psycho-social counseling to victim/survivor of SGBV and HP; Overview of Sexual Offenses and Law, Court Room Practices & Techniques and Case File Development as well as Strengthening Coordination mechanism and Networking among keys actors and stakeholders among others.

It is expected that at the end of the exercise, a Taskforce will be established, to review recommendations from all County Coordination sessions and the next steps in moving forward.             

The Spotlight Initiative is funded by the European Union in Liberia and implemented through the One UN in Liberia.

Under this joint initiative with partners like UN women, UNFPA and others, the role entrusted to UNDP Liberia is mostly related to strengthening institutions and ensuring the delivery of quality and essential services in the prevention and the responses to SGBV and harmful practices at the national, sub-national and community levels.