Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response
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Most Organisations Have a GBV Policy. Very Few Have Staff Who Know How to Actually Apply It.
A written policy is not the same as a workforce that can recognise warning signs, respond appropriately to a disclosure, and refer survivors to the right support without causing further harm. That gap between policy and practice is where organisations are most exposed, and where survivors are most let down.
Organisations without practical GBV response training often find:
- Managers freezing or saying the wrong thing when an employee discloses abuse, causing further harm through a poor first response
- HR teams with a policy document nobody has actually been trained to apply in a real situation
- No clear referral pathway, so staff don't know which local services to point survivors toward
- Confusion between GBV response and formal investigation, leading to survivors feeling interrogated rather than supported
- Workplace prevention efforts that stop at a poster campaign, with no follow-through on actual behaviour change
- Donor or compliance audits that reveal policy exists on paper but not in practice, a genuine institutional risk
This course closes that exact gap, moving your team from having a policy to being able to apply it safely, consistently, and with genuine care for survivors.
Who This Course Is For
HR and People Managers
Responsible for workplace policy and often the first point of contact when an employee discloses abuse or harassment.
NGO and Programme Staff
Delivering community programmes where GBV prevention and response is a core or emerging part of the mandate.
Line Managers and Team Leaders
Who need to know how to respond appropriately if a team member discloses, without overstepping into investigation.
Safeguarding and Compliance Officers
Building or auditing an organisation's GBV policy framework and needing staff genuinely capable of applying it.
Government and Ministry Staff
Working on national or regional GBV prevention strategy, coordination, and service delivery.
Programme and Project Managers
Leading teams where GBV mainstreaming is a donor requirement or an organisational priority.
What You Will Leave With
Practical capability, not just policy awareness.
Programme Curriculum
Why this module matters: Effective response starts with accurate understanding. This module builds a shared, evidence-based foundation across the group, what GBV actually encompasses beyond the narrow definitions many participants arrive with, and how it manifests differently across workplace, community, and humanitarian settings relevant to the GCC and Africa.
- Defining gender-based violence: physical, sexual, emotional, economic, and digital forms
- Root causes and risk factors: power imbalance, social norms, economic dependency
- How GBV manifests in the workplace specifically, distinct from community or domestic contexts
- Regional context: legal frameworks and cultural dimensions across GCC and African jurisdictions
- Intersectionality: how disability, migration status, and economic vulnerability compound risk
- Common myths and misconceptions that undermine effective response
Why this module matters: How the first person responds to a disclosure shapes everything that follows for a survivor. This module is built around this exact moment, giving participants a concrete framework and extensive practice so the right response becomes instinctive rather than something they have to think through under pressure.
- The survivor-centred approach: safety, confidentiality, dignity, non-discrimination
- The LIVES framework for first response: Listen, Inquire about needs, Validate, Enhance safety, Support
- What to say, and specifically what not to say, in the first response to a disclosure
- Managing your own reaction in the moment, staying present and useful rather than visibly shocked or overwhelmed
- Confidentiality boundaries: what can be shared, with whom, and under what circumstances
- Role-play practice: disclosure scenarios across workplace and community contexts, with facilitator feedback
Session includes extensive role-play practice with real-context scenarios
Why this module matters: A good response does not end with listening well, it connects the survivor to appropriate support and creates an accurate, protective record. This module also moves participants from response into prevention, building the skills to design programming that shifts behaviour rather than simply raising awareness.
- Building a local referral map: legal, medical, psychosocial, and shelter services relevant to your context
- Documentation principles: what to record, secure storage, and survivor consent
- Distinguishing response from investigation, and when each is appropriate
- Designing prevention programming that goes beyond awareness: bystander intervention, community dialogue, workplace culture change
- Auditing your own organisation's GBV policy against genuine implementability
- Vicarious trauma and practitioner self-care: recognising the signs and building sustainable practice
- Building your action plan for your own organisation or programme
📋 For HR Directors and Organisational Leaders
Investing in genuine GBV response capability delivers measurable organisational protection:
We deliver this programme as an in-house intensive for entire teams, calibrated to your organisation's specific policy, sector, and operating context. Contact us to discuss.
Request In-House Delivery →Common Questions
Does this course qualify or certify participants as GBV case workers?
No, this course builds practical first-response and referral capability for staff whose role touches GBV response, not a clinical or specialist casework qualification. For organisations needing dedicated case workers, we can discuss a more advanced pathway separately.
Is the content appropriate for a mixed-gender group?
Yes, and we generally recommend mixed-gender cohorts since GBV response capability needs to exist across an entire organisation, not just among women staff. Facilitators are experienced in managing this content sensitively for mixed groups.
How does the course handle the sensitivity of this subject matter for participants who may have personal experience of GBV?
Facilitators open with clear ground rules, opt-out options for specific exercises, and signpost support resources at the start of the course. The training is designed to be professionally rigorous without requiring anyone to share personal experience.
Can the course be adapted to our organisation's specific existing GBV policy?
Yes, for in-house delivery we review your existing policy beforehand and calibrate the referral mapping and documentation modules to your actual context and local service landscape.
Related Courses
A Policy on Paper Protects No One. Trained People Do.
Join HR, NGO, and programme professionals from across the GCC and Africa who've built the practical skills to respond to gender-based violence with genuine competence and care.
📅 Upcoming Schedules — View dates and locations ▾
We run this course as a private programme for organisations. Bespoke dates, tailored content, group pricing.
Every course starts with a needs assessment and includes structured follow-up at three points after it ends.
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Safeguarding and Risk Management in Women’s Programmes Course → Young Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme Design Course → Returnship and Career Re-entry Programme Design for Women Course → Gender-Responsive Youth Programming Course →Have a question about this course?
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