Domestic Violence Intervention/Prevention Project

The Domestic Violence Intervention Training Project for Police and Social Workers was implemented. The project is being implemented in three phases.

Phase I involved production of the Training Manual. The process combined material from the CAFRA/UNIFEM Manual produced as part of the Campaign Against Violence to Women and Girls, and the Manual used by Suriname in that country’s training programme. The new Manual was than tested in the training of twelve Trainers, following on the original plan set out by UNIFEM.

In Phase II, these twelve trainers trained two hundred police and social workers, from nineteen (19) Caribbean countries – Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Barbados, Bahamas, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, St. Kitts/Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Turks and Caicos, Tortola, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao.

The training was done in two batches of 100 each in Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, during June and July respectively.

In Phase III of the Project, these new Trainers are undertaking the training of approximately 26,000 Police and Social Workers in the respective countries. Each country has an in-country coordinator and a National Steering Committee.

The project is monitored by a Committee of Stakeholders, comprised of representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank, Caribbean Development Band, Association of Caribbean Commissioners of Police (ACCP), UNIFEM and CAFRA.

The Third Phase of the Project was implemented, with funding support in the amount of US$ 200,000 from the Caribbean Development Bank. Training was conducted in seventeen Caribbean countries, most of which have completed half of the training. Up to August, six (6) countries had not begun the training due to internal difficulties, and submitted revised work plans stating that training would commence in September 2001. By the end of the year, all countries were engaged in training and several were able to complete.

A set of Posters and Flyers has been produced to assist in the public relations aspects of the project. This third phase of the project is being implemented by the Coordinator, since the CDB funding does not extend to payment of a Project Manager.

The training manual has been translated into Spanish, and the search is still on for funds to conduct some training in Puerto Rico, Cuba and the Dominican Republic as well as Curacao and the USVI, which are not covered by the CDB funding.

A long outstanding regional project on the situation of the disabled within families was rewritten for implementation in Trinidad and Tobago only. This project was sent to BPTT Leaders Awards (Trinidad and Tobago) in response to their call for proposals. The results have not been announced.