Our Director Jane Townsley co-authored the global Handbook on Gender Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject of Violence together with her UN Women colleague Mirko Fernandez. The handbook was formally launched in January 2021 and is now being rolled out in various countries across the World, coordinated by Jane and Mirko.

The handbook  on Gender-Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence is based on and complements existing global and country-specific handbooks and training materials for law enforcement. It covers in more depth than before areas such as gender-responsive police investigations; prevention; intersectionality; survivor-centred approaches; addressing toxic masculinities; coordination; communications; institution-building; and emerging issues such as online violence. Given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Handbook also includes an additional chapter on responding to violence against women and girls during crises, including pandemics

The Handbook primarily targets police middle managers with practical guidance on their role in delivering gender-responsive policing and being held accountable for this; however, parts of the Handbook can equally be used to train senior management as well as front-line responders, also in police academies and as ‘refresher courses’. Practical, peer-to-peer operational guidance by experienced police investigators is offered in each chapter
 

UN Women has spearheaded this process and has been supported throughout by an Advisory Group, consisting of other UN Women sections and regional and country offices; relevant UN agencies and Funds, such as UNODC, UNDP, UNPOL, the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women; civil society and survivors’ organizations, bi-lateral police forces and other relevant stakeholders, such as the international Association of Women Police; the International Association of Women Judges and the International Development Law Organisation.

Jane has been working in both Kosovo and Bangladesh to support the police with pilot projects for the implementation of the Handbook and its guidance, including working with Training academies in both countries to review and adapt GBV training curricula in line with the handbook’s guidance.