UNFPA and the National Council for Women (NCW) organized a training workshop on May 2-3 for health service providers at university hospitals on dealing with women who have been subjected to violence.

The two-day workshop took place at the Modern University for Technology and Information (MTI) which is slated to inaugurate a Safe Women’s Clinic. Twenty-five health service providers participated in the workshop from the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Psychiatry, Forensics and Public Health, who will be responsible for managing and operating in the Safe Women’s Clinic.

The workshop brought together Dr. Ayman Shafei, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dr. Shereen Abdel Malek, Vice Dean of Education and Student Affairs. It was moderated by Dr. Amal Philip, Health Advisor to NCW’s Anti-Violence against Women Unit and Mona El-Ghazaly coordinator of the Anti-Violence against Women Unit, Dr. Dina Shoukry, Dean of Forensics, as well as Dr. Suhair Al-Ghunaimi, Dean of Psychiatry.

The workshop included an introduction to the basic services available to women subjected to violence, the causes and impact of domestic violence, global and national statistics on gender-based violence against women and girls, the referral mechanism and the importance of coordination among relevant entities, as well as the standard operating procedures for service provision at the Safe Women Clinic.

The workshop also tackled the principles of forensic examinations in the cases of violence, including sexual violence and offering clinical as well as psychological care for survivors.

Safe Women's Clinics offer comprehensive services for women subjected to violence and are operating in Qasr al-Ainy, Mansoura, Ain Shams, Assiut, Benha, Beni Suef, Minya and 6th of October university hospitals.