United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

The UNODC Regional Office in East Africa (ROEA)

UNODC and EAPCCO focusing on Investigations and Prosecution of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Related Crimes in Eastern Africa

Dar es Salaam, (Tanzania), 1 October – The Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) Secretariat supported by UNODC presented a 4-day training workshop for its Member States on “Strengthening Investigations and Prosecution of Sexual and Gender Based Violence Related Crimes”.

In principle, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) is a violation, including a violation of the Human Rights of victims. When SHBV is linked to terrorism or transnational organized crime (TOC), it presents an additional and serious threat to peace, security, and sustainable development in Eastern Africa. Women and men, girls and boys are among the victims of acts of terrorism and organised crime. This includes being victims of extortion, hostage-taking, complex attacks, and indiscriminate bombings as well as being forced to commit crimes such as drug trafficking. Terrorist and organised crime groups, however, also specifically target women and children through acts of SGBV, including Trafficking in Persons. Rape, sexual slavery, domestic servitude and forced marriage, among others, are used by both terrorist groups and crime syndicates as means of achieving tactical, operational, and strategic goals.

Participants comprised 31 law enforcement experts from Burundi, Comoros, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda, including expert facilitators from the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNODC and national delegations of Kenyan, Rwandan and Ugandan. UNODC Prosecution Expert, Ms. Natalae Anderson, facilitated the training.

The overall aim of the workshop was to enhance knowledge and strengthen the capacity of investigators and prosecutors to effectively investigate and prosecute SGBV cases, especially when related to terrorism or transnational organized crime. The workshop also aimed to facilitate the sharing of best practices among Member States and practitioners, and to strengthen gender mainstreaming in preventing and countering transnational organized crime and terrorism.

Mr. Gedion Kimilu, CEO of the EAPCCO Secretariat and the Director of Criminal Investigation of the Tanzania Police Force, Mr. Camilius Mongoso Wambura, opened the workshop and welcomed the delegations, UNODC and experts to Dar es Salaam.

The workshop introduced gender mainstreaming and enhanced the capacity of law enforcement entities and practitioners, as well as prosecutors to identify, isolate and address various operational and procedural challenges to effective investigation and prosecution of SGBV cases, also in the context of the emerging dynamics due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The training demonstrated the use of existing legal instruments to enhance inter-agency cooperation between investigators and prosecutors to effectively fulfil their mandate, including effectively utilize intelligence related to SGBV crime, terrorism and transnational organised. Furthermore, the workshop also provided increased opportunity for collaboration across borders, both informally and formally, to share information, evidence and intelligence related to SGBV.

UNODC is supporting Eastern Africa Member States within the framework of the regional UNODC Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes. The training workshop is part of the UNODC regional project on Supporting EAPCCO and its Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence to Prevent and Counter Terrorism in Eastern Africa, funded by the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Building on the previous project “Supporting and enhancing the EAPCCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence for Eastern Africa”, the overall aim of this project is to support and strengthen the capacity of EAPCCO Member States, EAPCCO Secretariat and EAPCCO Regional Counter-Terrorism Centre of Excellence (CTCoE) to effectively prevent and counter terrorism and links to transnational organized and SGBV in Eastern Africa, including through enhanced international cooperation in criminal matters, with a rule of law and human rights-based approach.

For more information on the UN Security Council Resolution 2482 (2019) regarding links between Transnational Organized Crime and Terrorism, click here.

See UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030 here.

For more information, please contact: 

Mr. Johan Kruger – johan.kruger@un.org
Head of Transnational Organized Crime, Illicit Trafficking and Terrorism Programmes,
UNODC Regional Office for Eastern Africa