Skopje, 15 December 2023 (MIA) – The police and media need to take into account the needs of victims who are reporting cases of gender-based violence, and a serious issue today is the lack of trust in them, the Adviser on Police Development and Reform at the OSCE Secretariat, Bjørn Tore Saltvik told MIA on Friday.

Saltvik, who participated in a roundtable discussion on how media reporting on gender-based violence can be tailored to protect victims and survivors in Skopje on Friday, said that the OSCE is initiating training for the police and prosecution in the country over the way they need to act in their approach to victims of gender-based violence.

The OSCE Adviser underscored that the close cooperation on the project between the bodies tasked with the law’s implementation and the OSCE has shown to be very productive.

“As one example for that, I would like to point out that the new curriculum for the training of police and prosecutors which highlights the needs of victims, will now be a part of the national training,” said Saltvik.

Saltvik added that the relevant authorities are also helping in the creation of a new phone app instructing police officers how to approach cases of gender-based violence.

“The application will be a readily available tool that will provide police officers with important knowledge on how to act in such cases, to secure evidence, and to protect and assist the victims,” said Saltvik.

In terms of the reporting of such cases, Saltvik underscored that the trauma experienced by the victims should be taken into account.

“This implies that the reporting should recognize the trauma experienced by the victims and children involved in such cases. The victims frequently experience secondary victimization,” Saltvik told MIA.

The roundtable discussion which was held Friday in Skopje is a part of the OSCE’s three-year project “Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe”. It focuses on the importance of reporting cases of gender-based violence and domestic violence, both by the police and by media stakeholders, using a victim-centered approach.

Photo: MIA