UN Women: Teach youth positive conflict resolution to stop violence in relationships early

Representative for the United Nations (UN) Women Multi-Country Office in the Caribbean Toni Brodber said teaching youth positive conflict resolution techniques can help prevent violence in relationships before they begin.

Brodber was the latest in a line of speakers participating in the virtual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence series on Friday. The series is a collaboration between the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) and UN Women.

She said UN women has been collaborating closely with the OPM on programmes including one that teaches conflict resolution as a preventative measure against gender-based violence.

She also said UN Women collaborated with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in collecting data that revealed the prevalence of violence against women in Trinidad and Tobago.

“What we need to do now is to ensure that with covid19, the administrative data and the prevalence data are up to date and relevant so we know what is happening where, and how best to respond.”

She also said UN Women had collaborated with the UN Population Fund, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) to work with essential service providers in TT to ensure the response to gender-based violence is “as urgent as the need exists.”

She said the organisation wanted to support the European Union’s efforts in funding to end gender-based violence in TT and the wider Caribbean through its Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year initiative focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.

“This initiative,” she said,” has created a fantastic platform to enhance the work that UN agencies have already been doing, and not only UN agencies but government institutions and civil society organisations.”

She said support had already been given to nine small civil society organisations across TT through the initiative.