Gender Equality and Law Enforcement: Outreach and Education Program  

The Ministry of Justice, Republic of Palau, aims to promote and protect the safety and peace of the public, maintain order and enforce laws.  In Palau, women are disproportionately impacted by crimes including domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking.  

This project aims to raise awareness about the types of crimes committed against women, the impact these crimes have, and the support services that are available. The community will then be better able to identify violence against women, understand how to prevent such violence and how to deal with the aftermath.  

With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• create publications that can be disseminated to the public by law enforcement officers on crimes that relate to gender equality 
• educate the public about the victim support services that are available
• provide a conduit for law enforcement officers to engage with the community in their policing. 

Strengthening gender mainstreaming within the Palauan Government through capacity building and stakeholder engagement

The Palauan Division of Gender within the Ministry of State is a new area responsible for implementing the Palau Gender Mainstreaming Policy. A key priority is to build the capacity of other Palauan Ministries to adopt a gender lens in their own portfolios.
‍
Since the Palau Gender Mainstreaming Policy was endorsed in 2018, there has not been an opportunity to bring government stakeholders involved in gender-related work together. While gender mainstreaming work has continued in some areas, momentum in other areas has slowed down.
‍
With the support of the Australian Volunteers Program Impact Fund, this project will:

• hold a day-long forum with 30-40 government stakeholders in February 2022 to build a renewed commitment to the Palau Gender Mainstreaming Policy, revisit the roles of each Ministry, and share knowledge of gender programs and policies
• deliver a series of workshops with civil servants in target Ministries in March 2022 to build capacity and support them to mainstream gender in their work.

The delivery of these stakeholder activities will strengthen gender knowledge and leadership in the Palauan Government and promote the importance of gender equality in Palau. The February forum will result in an agreed governance and oversight mechanism of the Policy, and each Ministry will be encouraged to set targets and actions to address gendered gaps in their laws, policies, programs and reporting.