Source: allAfrica                                                                                                                                                                                                                   The actions of violence in Angola represent criminal offence punishable by law, said the national police director of Criminal Investigation Department, who defended awareness in order to decrease the evil.

The chief commissioner, Eugénio Pedro Alexandre said this Monday at the opening session of a seminar on "Effective responses of law enforcement to combat violence against women and children" promoted by the General Command of the National Police.

He said that in Angola, the violence of gender and child represents crimes punishable by the Criminal Code, Law on domestic violence, law on underlying money laundering and other crimes.

The DNIC official said that the five-day training will be an opportunity to discuss and suggest to the competent institutions, effective measures to combat violence against women and children.

According to him, the effects of this violence include humiliation, intimidation, fear, psycho-emotional and neurological imbalances, anger, anxiety, and the disintegration of families.

The awareness should be conducted at home, in schools, universities, churches, communities and the whole society should get engaged in preventing and combating this evil, "he said.

The opening ceremony was attended by the coordinator of seminar, commissioner chief Elizabeth Ranque Franque, UN representatives for combat violence, members of the consultative council of National Police and representatives of Ministry of Family and Women Promotion.

• Angola