Washington, D.C., July 18, 2025 (PAHO) – More than 75 health sector professionals from 16 Latin American countries participated in the first virtual session of the subregional training series on care for child and adolescent survivors of violence, organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) with financial support from Canada and the collaboration of the regional offices of UNICEF and UNFPA.
The first session, which took place in two virtual meetings of two and a half hours each, aimed to introduce participants to the main aspects of the health system's response to child and adolescent survivors of violence, including early detection, recognition of signs and symptoms of violence, appropriate data collection and reporting, as well as first-line support and immediate clinical responses. Participatory methodologies such as breakout rooms, role-play games, and plenary discussion spaces were used.
The training is aligned with PAHO's technical guidelines on health care for children and adolescent survivors of violence and represents an opportunity to share with all countries materials developed by PAHO and other agencies to improve the health system's response.
"Most of the time, health workers are the first point of contact for children and adolescent survivors of violence. This training represents a concrete opportunity to strengthen their role and ensure safe, empathetic, and quality care," highlighted Britta Baer, PAHO's regional advisor on violence.
The next step in this training series will be the in-person meeting in Lima, Peru, scheduled for August 2025. This training will delve into practical training and awareness-raising tools and consolidate a subregional network of VAC focal points committed to the continuous improvement of the health system's response to violence.
This initiative is part of the follow-up to the commitments made at the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children, held in November 2024 in Bogotá, Colombia, and responds to Member States' requests to advance capacity building for health workers.
