Dear friends and colleagues,
The 25th and 26th of April we had a two-day training in the manual ‘Mental health and gender-based violence: A training manual on how to help survivors of sexual violence in conflict’ at HHRI’s office at the Human Rights House in Oslo. In total there were 25 participants with different backgrounds and varying years of professional experience, including students, psychologists, advisors from different organizations, and network leaders, among others. We had an international group with participants from South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe.
The goal of the training was to allow participants to come together to get to know the content and possible ways of working with the manual, to learn from each other by exchanging experiences and perspectives, and to discuss important issues in this field of work with the trainers and each other. HHRI’s overarching goal is that the training will allow participants to spread the knowledge of the manual and to use it in their work directly with survivors or indirectly by passing the knowledge on to others through trainings and seminars. In this way we hope that more survivors will receive some form of psychological aid. This is of crucial importance both from a human rights perspective as well as for the resilience and future of the societies harmed by conflict and by this type of gross human rights violations.
The trainers were Dr. Nora Sveaass – clinical psychologist, Professor at the University of Oslo, founder of HHRI and member of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, Doris Drews – specialist in psychiatry, Ragnhild Dybdahl – Associate Professor of psychology at Oslo Metropolitan University, and Elisabeth Ng Langdal – Director of HHRI.
The training was a big success and HHRI received positive feedback from the participants after the training. We want to thank all of you who took part in the training
Video Tutorials GBV Training Manual
HHRI has created a series of video tutorials to make easier for you to learn about the content and of the GBV training manual Mental Health and Gender Based Violence, Helping survivors of sexual violence in conflict. The manual has been written for the many people who in different ways provide direct assistance to women who survive gender-based violence and trauma during disasters, wars and conflicts, where helpers have limited or no access to specialized health services.
Watch the different tutorials, read the GBV training manual and answer the final paper of reflection to apply for a certificate. Send us an e-mail post@hhri.org with your qualifications and let us know that you have submitted your answer.
All manuals can be downloaded from the MHHRI website
There are three different manuals, which respectively address working with women, with boys and men, and with children who have experienced sexual violence.
The manuals are translated into several languages. The page numbers in each manual remain the same across languages. This allows survivors and helpers to work from copies in their preferred language and read the same content on the same pages. It also makes it easier to teach participants when participants and trainers work in more than one language. The manuals include a toolbox. Survivors can use it individually to regulate their own emotions through grounding exercises or in collaboration with a helper. Helpers can also use grounding exercises to take care of themselves as helpers.
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Sincerely yours,
Take care – and we are wishing you all the best.
Sincerely yours,
Mental Health and Human Rights Info teampost@hhri.orgwww.hhri.org