PAHO initiates pilot of virtual course to strengthen health sector response to violence against girls and adolescent girls

Washington, D.C., June 15, 2026 - The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), supported by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), initiated a pilot of its new virtual course, Strengthening the Health Sector Response to Violence Against Girls and Adolescent Girls. The event brought together more than 60 health sector representatives from countries across Latin America.

The course, adapted to the Latin American context, aims to enhance the capacity of health personnel to provide a comprehensive response to child and adolescent survivors of violence, with a special focus on girls and adolescent girls. It covers key topics such as the early identification of risk situations, the clinical management of sexual violence, support for girls in situations of child marriage or forced early unions, mental health care, multisectoral referral, and "training of trainers."

With AECID's support, PAHO developed the course as part of both organizations' joint commitment to protect the rights and health of girls and adolescent girls. The course adapts an existing program on strengthening health service responses to violence against women and girls in Latin America.

"Sexual violence and dating violence, as well as the prevalence of child marriage and forced early unions, disproportionately affect girls and adolescent girls in our region. That is why this course focuses on how health personnel can provide a timely, comprehensive, and survivor-centered response, preventing violence from escalating and its consequences from persisting over time," noted Britta Baer, ​​PAHO Regional Advisor on Violence Prevention and Response.

During the launch event, participants emphasized the value of this initiative as an opportunity to create a course that fits the Region's national and local contexts and incorporates existing country-level resources and materials, enriching the course content with experience from across Latin America. The pilot test will run from June to August 2026 and will involve representatives from the health sector in Latin American countries. The process will consist of three virtual sessions, bilateral meetings, and a feedback questionnaire to gather experiences and examples from various countries before the course's official launch.

Once the pilot test concludes, PAHO will make the course available free of charge on the Virtual Campus in late 2026.

Violence against women

Violence Prevention

Violence against children

Youth Violence

Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health (NMH)

Violencias y jóvenes en Argentina