he Office of the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality, "SEPI", together with partners UNFPA have just delivered a pilot Anger Management Training entitled "Controlling Violent Behaviour" in Baucau. This 6 day training course is the first of its kind to be conducted with members of youth and martial arts groups in Timor-Leste. Over 23 participants, both male and female, attended this intensive training course which took place from August 13-18, 2012.
SEPI and UNFPA have been collaborating with the National Directorate of Prisons in the Ministry of Justice on Anger Management training programmes since 2008, as part of a broader national plan to reduce and prevent gender-based violence in Timor-Leste. To date, five Anger Management Training programmes have been delivered by SEPI and UNFPA in Becora and Gleno prisons. The training is specifically designed for people who have committed crimes of gender-based violence. The training provides the participants with the skills and techniques for successful anger management and helps to reduce the likelihood of participants using violent behavior in the future. Feedback from previous participants on this programme has been overwhelmingly positive with one prisoner stating that if he had received this training earlier he would not have ended up in prison.
The training programme in Baucau follows the success of previous Anger Management programmes and recommendations from past participants that this programme be extended to young people at risk, before they commit violent crimes. Baucau was selected for this pilot programme because it is a high risk, conflict-prone district. Virgilio Sarmento Freitas is one martial arts trainer in Baucau who spoke about the unacceptable problem of violence in his district and of some of the unjust perceptions of martial arts group members.
"I saw the problem [of violence] happen and now it's out of control. In Baucau some people say that problems happen because of the martial arts groups. That's not true. Martial arts groups don't teach people to throw stones or use machetes. Martial arts... are used for self protection and... have bonds that tie them together with codes of conduct. There are regulations."
The majority of participants attending this training are members of ‘Festil', an umbrella group for martial arts in Baucau. The participants see martial arts as a social, sporting activity. However, because of the actions of a minority there are negative perceptions of martial arts group members and associations with violence. Virgilio spoke of the need for this training in Baucau
"As young men this is a new training we have to learn. As a man especially, I see the problems of violence and I want to learn how it can be solved in order to contribute to the development of the nation."
UNFPA funded this training as part of its ongoing support to SEPI to implement the National Action Plan Against Gender Based Violence and also collaborated with other government partners, the Offices of Secretary of State for Youth and Sport and the Secretary of State for Security in its delivery.
