Twenty-six officials from the Prosecutors’ Office in six provinces of Costa Rica participated in the “Specialized Course for Prosecutors on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (CEFAF)” organized by UNLIREC.

On 7, 14, 21, 28 June and 5 July 2022, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC), in coordination with the Judicial Branch of Costa Rica, conducted for the first time the ‘Specialized Course for Prosecutors on Firearms Investigations from a Gender Perspective (FIGP)’.

The course aimed to sensitize judicial authorities on the importance of incorporating a gender perspective into the design of legal strategies and the construction of case theories in the investigations of crimes committed against women, in which firearms are present.

The FIGP course was conducted virtually and included the participation of authorities from the Prosecutors’ Office, who shared their experiences and good practices, and took part in exercises in which they put the acquired knowledge into practice. During the course, participants highlighted the usefulness of the “check list” tool for the analysis of the factual, normative and evidentiary elements in the construction of case theory.

This course is in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Goals 5 and 16, which aim to eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls and reduce the illicit flow of arms.

This activity forms part of the project “Supporting gender mainstreaming in policies, programmes and actions to combat small arms trafficking and misuse”, funded by the European Union.