OSCE/ODIHR trains correctional officers on preventing sexual and gender-based violence in prison

A pilot training course on preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence in prison was organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), bringing together 14 correctional officers from eight OSCE participating States on 18 and 19 December 2017 in Warsaw.

The course aimed to raise awareness among penitentiary staff on the topic of sexual and gender-based violence in places of deprivation of liberty, and build their capacity to address this widespread problem.

“Preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence in prison is a state responsibility and, as such, prison personnel are obliged to detect and address all sources of abuse, discrimination and harm,” said Graziella Pavone, Human Rights Officer at ODIHR. “This training is part of a larger endeavour covering this under-researched and challenging topic and aims to empower state officials to uphold human rights in every corner within the prison walls.”

“While not intrinsically vulnerable, prisoners can become vulnerable if protection measures are not put in place,” said participant Mile Pavlovic, who works as Treatment Officer at the Correctional Facility in the Serbian city of Nis. “Women can be subjected to violence and abuse because they are women in a closed and male-dominated environment. Likewise, men can be subjected to violence if they do not conform to gendered forms of masculinity, which are typically about power and dominance.”

The course was attended by participants from Albania, Armenia, Croatia, Georgia, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Ukraine, including nine men and five women. Their feedback will be used to improve the course, which will then be delivered to penitentiary staff from various parts of the OSCE region.