KABUL POLICE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TRAINING

UNCLAS KABUL 002174 SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/FO, SCA/A, INL, DRL, GTIP, GWI STATE PASS TO USAID FOR AID/ANE NSC FOR JWOOD OSD FOR SHIVERS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPOL PREL PHUM PGOV AF SUBJECT: KABUL POLICE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TRAINING ¶1. (U) Political officer attended a portion of a training workshop for 40 Kabul police officers and employees held August 12-14 and organized by the Afghan Women Skills Development Centre (AWSDC) and supported financially by INL. The workshop, held at the Kabul Provincial Police Headquarters, was the third training conducted over the past 12 months by AWSDC with the purpose of training Kabul Police employees to respond appropriately to domestic violence cases including how to refer victims to an INL funded shelter. ¶2. (U) The first two workshops held in the past year focused on training the 44 male and female police officers who form the 17 Police Family Response Units in Kabul. This third workshop was open to, and primarily attended by, other Kabul police officers and employees who volunteered to receive the training. ¶3. (U) Approximately 25 male and 15 female police officers and other employees participated in the August 12 workshop, which consisted of a presentation on the different forms of domestic violence and the effects of domestic violence on families and society. Attendees actively participated through group presentations and role play scenarios, with many speaking up to highlight the role of increased educational and economic opportunities as keys to reducing domestic violence. Participants also linked domestic violence to the common issue of Afghan boys, usually ages 9-15, who run away from home, many of whom end up working in Pakistan and Iran as victims of trafficking. Several participants also said that domestic violence is a cause of increased rates of drug addiction and children,s failure to regularly attend school. ¶4. (U) Poloff talked to several of the participants, listening to their opinions of the workshop and of domestic violence in Afghanistan. All praised the workshop as beneficial to their work and requested that more be held. Several women in reference to men,s treatment of women said that while the words used when talking about addressing violence towards women sound good, in reality there remains much progress to be made in changing social attitudes. In general, the workshop was well-run and well-received and appears to have the strong support of Kabul Provincial Police high-level authorities, several of whom were in attendance. WOOD