The Tribune

IN recognition of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Pan American Development Foundation will host a series of youth dialogues and seminars to familiarise community leaders and youth with strategies to prevent gender-based and teen dating violence.

This initiative is part of the Resistance and Prevention Programme (RAPP), which aims to reduce youth crime and violence by building mutual trust between the police, the government, and Bahamian youth. RAPP is funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and implemented by Pan American Development Foundation (PADF).

The series was launched in Nassau on November 24, with an opening ceremony and youth dialogue.

Events will take place between November 30 and December 4, 2015 and will include youth dialogues and four-day courses that build police and other practitioners’ skills on violence prevention and promoting change through community action plans.

Events will be held across four islands – Exuma, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama and New Providence.

“Our aim is to foster a real discussion with young people by giving them valuable information on domestic violence,” said Nekisha Rolle, PADF’s programme coordinator in the Bahamas.

“We’re pointing them to where they can go for help through local resources. More importantly, we want to encourage youth to actively be a part of the solution, to be a voice of change.”

RAPP is supported by the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a US security strategy focused on citizen safety throughout the hemisphere. Local partners include the US Embassy in Nassau, the Crisis Centre, the Ministry of Social Services and Community Development, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the Bahamas Bar Association, the Ministry of Legal Affairs, the Ministry of Education’s Guidance Department, civil society organisations, the business sector, and youth groups.

“The seminars offer an opportunity to renew the global commitment to free women and girls from violence,” said Kristin Gilmore, director of the US Embassy Nassau’s INL Section.

“Whether it occurs in our own neighbourhood or on distant shores, violence against women and girls damages us all – men and women alike.”

The youth dialogues and seminars are free and open to the public.