The Internal Security Forces Institute in Aramoun distributed yesterday certificates among ISF and General Security officers who completed training on ‘combating gender or social status-based violence in security institutions’. The course was organized between 13/2/2017 and 6/4/2017 in coordination with the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) at the Lebanese American University (LAU). Some 20 ISF and 15 GS officers participated in the training. During the graduation ceremony, ISF Institute Commander, Brigadier General Ahmed Hajjar said the idea of the course comes from a firm conviction to improve concepts and approaches employed by the security apparatus in the country in line with international standards and national legislation combating this type of violence. Hajjar hailed LAU’s initiative to provide scholarships for 13 officers allowing them to pursue a specialized diploma in the field. For her part, IT innovator Diala Muhtar said the course covered many important topics, including: human rights system; defining gender-based violence and role of security institutions in combating it; the local legal framework of these issues (laws, conventions, treaties), in addition to case studies and discussion and sharing of lived experiences by participants. )Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, September 28, 2017(