This was the topic of a two-day training for the management of the National Police of Ukraine conducted by EUAM Ukraine, in particular Gender Adviser Anette Schwitzke, Police Adviser Georgina Magnussen and Human Rights Training Expert Yuliia Petrova, with the participation of trainer from the JurFem company, lawyer Marta Pavlyshyn. The purpose of the training was to support the university management in creating a system for preventing and combating sexual harassment and discrimination in the team.

The training was attended by Viktor Vasylenko, First Vice-Rector of the University, representatives of the management of the Educational and Research Institutes that train specialists for pre-trial investigation bodies, criminal police units and preventive activities, as well as specialists in information and analytical support and cybersecurity of the National Police of Ukraine. The seminar was also attended by the heads of the departments of educational process organisation, quality assurance, security and classified information, vocational guidance, social and humanitarian work, international cooperation, service organisation, as well as the departments of monitoring, psychological support, work with shift personnel, security and classified information, etc.

The training began with an introductory test and welcoming remarks by Viktor Vasylenko, First Vice-Rector of Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs, who stressed the relevance of the topic to prevent gender-based discrimination and sexual harassment in the workplace and during the performance of police duties, and thanked the European Union Advisory Mission Ukraine for its long-standing and fruitful cooperation with the university.

During the first day's training sessions, Anette Schwitzke and Yuliia Petrova reviewed the key aspects of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, the specifics of combating harassment at the individual and team levels, and international legal instruments aimed at preventing and combating this offence. Georgina Magnussen spoke in detail about good practices and shared her personal experience in combating discrimination and harassment in law enforcement agencies in Denmark.

During the discussions, Viktor Vasylenko shared the university's experience in combating gender discrimination and preventing harassment in the workplace, which helps the institution maintain a high level of authority and mutual respect in the team.

The second day of the training was devoted to practical exercises to consolidate the theoretical material. Anette Schwitzke led the training participants in completing the tasks ‘What is power?’ and ‘Views of victims - criminals - observers’.

After a series of practical exercises, Marta Pavlyshyn, a trainer at JurFem, delivered a report on ‘Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in Ukrainian Law’. She analysed the Ukrainian legislation regulating the equality of rights of men and women, the principles of national anti-discrimination legislation, liability for sexual harassment, rules for preventing sexual harassment in the workplace and legal instruments of protection in such situations. The report on the relevant topic aroused interest and additional questions from the participants of the event.

The Head of the Monitoring Department Serhii Ternytskyi briefed the trainers on the procedure for preventing gender discrimination in law enforcement agencies in general and in Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs in particular.

The training continued with a group exercise ‘From Theory to Practice: How to Prevent Sexual Harassment in an Organisation? Towards a concept of protection’, which provoked a lively discussion.

Finally, the participants took the final test, and the trainers summed up the results of the two-day training and presented the representatives of KhNUIA with certificates. https://univd.edu.ua/uk/news/21100