As part of the ongoing program “RH and gender in the context of Islam”, UNFPA and  the International Islamic Center for Population Studies and Research (IICPSR) - Al Azhar University, held a training workshop focused only gender based violence (GBV) issues in commemoration of the 16 days of activism to combat violence against women.

 

The workshop was held on November 23rd-27th 2011; the five-day training of trainers (TOT) was held at Al Azhar campus in Cairotargeting 15 female theologians from Cairo. Throughout the training, facilitators addressed the diverse types of gender based violence (forced marriage, domestic violence, female genital mutilation…) from a medical and religious point of view.

In an effort to raise the awareness of female religious leaders that tend to spread religious messages to women of various age groups through privately held religion lessons.  The training meant to raise their capacity in integrating GBV in their regular preaching; and to equip them with tools to enable them of transmitting this knowledge to other female preachers on the local level. As an essential tool, the participants were given the UNFPA and IICPSR manual for TOT.

 

The workshops, very interactive, allowed breaking down some barriers: “During the debates we really saw a positive evolution in the attitude towards equality for education; young age marriage and GBV, especially amongst the women” (Doctor Ahmed Ragai IICPSR). Ready to deal with difficult questions about those issues, the theologian went back with certificates, outputs of the workshop, manuals and started training other preachers. 

 

As part the New Joint program “Safe Cities for women and Girls” to be launched next year and in tribute to the 16 days of activism to combat VAW, UNFPA and IICPSR organized the first  workshops for male religious leaders in the mosques of the three heavily populated target slum areas of the program. The workshops were originally scheduled for December 15th but due to the ongoing parliamentary elections they were re-scheduled for December 17th- 19th in Manshiet Nasser and Ezbet el Hagana and December 20th-22nd in Imbaba.  Each workshop will train 20 male preachers on GBV issues for interventions in the diverse community activities, in schools and mosques.