Indonesia: ICITAP-Supported East Java Regional Police Conduct Workshop on Violence Against Women and Children for First Responders

On September 6, Indonesia's Women's Leadership Development Program (WLDP) received positive feedback from the Community Development Directorate of the East Java Regional Police Office (Ditbinmas Polda Jatim) regarding the training on violence against women and children (VaWC) for Indonesian National Police (INP) first responders (Bhabinkamtibmas) that they conducted from July 24-27, 2023. East Java Regional Police Office and 29 district police (Polres) personnel under its supervision received training in collaboration with the Center for Women's Empowerment in Law Enforcement of Airlangga University in Surabaya, East Java. Following the completion of the training, Ditbinmas Polda Jatim conducted a series of one-day workshops titled Technical Development for Bhabinkamtibmas and Understanding the Duties and Functions of Community Development (Binmas), where they adopted the majority of the VaWC training material and reached a more significant number of Bhabinkamtibmas. As of August 31, they had shared the training outcomes with seven polreses under its supervision, including Polres Blitar, Polres Blitar City, Polres Tulungagung, Polres Trenggalek, Polres Madiun, Polres Madiun City, and Polres Ngawi, with plans to continue with additional polreses. The training materials distributed during this activity covered topics such as domestic violence law, the police technical functions performed by Community Development Police personnel, and the involvement of women and children in radicalism resulting in violent extremism. Approximately 330 INP personnel participated in Ngawi and Madiun, the last two cities. The feedback emphasizes the effectiveness of the training event and the partnership between ICITAP and the Community Development Directorate of the East Java Regional Office. We anticipate seeing the positive effects of their ongoing efforts in the growth of Bhabinkamtibmas. This momentum may lead to expanding the purview of the training initiative, refining materials based on lessons learned, and incorporating East Java Regional Police Office feedback into future iterations for other INP Regional Offices.