Image: JAMAICA | Representatives from the Bureau of Gender Affairs, HP+, Eve for Life, National Family Planning Board presenting the Comprehensive Package for Healthcare Workers and Providers to Mr Dunstan Bryan, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Jamaica.

In January 2019, the Health Policy Plus (HP+) project presented Permanent Secretary (PS), Ministry of Health (MOH), Mr Dunstan Bryan with a Comprehensive Package for Healthcare Workers and Providers to Address Gender-based Violence for clients of healthcare facilities in Jamaica.

The package constitutes several elements and is a culmination of years of work done under the project with Gender-based Violence (GBV).  It included a guideline document for healthcare workers and providers when dealing with known, suspected or potential clients who may be suffering from GBV.

The package also included a GBV Referral Directory with contact information for entities that provide GBV services including those for adolescence, information, education and communication (IEC) material in the form of a brochure with a self-assessment tool and a safety card, which is a small discreet card that can be kept by the client in case they need contact information for entities that provide GBV services.

The Ministry was also provided with “Recommendations for Mainstreaming GBV into the National HIV Response” and a Dissemination Plan for the material.

At the handover exercise, PS Bryan indicated that “he appreciates the work and help of the HP+ and agrees that the guidelines and materials are necessary to help not only staff but the public to combat GBV and HIV”.

Eve for Life (EFL) co-founder and Director of Impact, Joy Crawford, was the consultant for the project.  Eve for Life is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded in 2008, to support women and children living with or affected by HIV and AIDS.  EFL is seen as a champion for shaping a world where the sexual health and rights of young women and girls are protected and upheld.  The organization is involved in extensive work in GBV.