Empowerment of Women in Policing Internationally

1. Empowerment of Women in Policing Internationally Presented at the 51st International Association of Women Police (IAWP) Training Conference 22 to 26 September 2013 Durban ICC, South Africa by Commissioner Joyce KapampaKasosa, BA, MSc. Email: joycekkasosa@yahoo.co.uk Zambia Police Service

2. Presentation outline • Introduction • Focus, objective and Assumptions • Analysis and general overview • Key Legal/ guiding instruments • Major Challenges • Strategies • Achievements and Lessons learnt • Recommendations and Way forward • Conclusion

3. Introduction • Composition of society and its need for balanced services • The critical role of police as a service that promotes and protects human rights • Concerted efforts are therefore needed by any police institution to ensure that women are not only part of the system but adequately empowered to ensure a balanced and satisfactory police service

4. Introduction • “Global Empowerment of Women in Policing” is the theme of the 51st International Association of Women Police (IAWP) 2013 Training Conference with the sub-theme “Century of Experience to Excellence” • In one of the conference materials I read, states that ‘the spirit of the conference lies in the well-known African saying by Ghanaian scholar, Dr. James Kwagyir-Aggrey that “if you educate a woman, you educate a nation” ‘ • My presentation which is entitled “Empowerment of women in policing internationally” fits not only the theme and the spirit of the conference but also sounds like a restatement of the essence of the conference.

5. Focus, objective and Assumptions of the presentation • Focusing on and drawing experiences from Zambia, the objective is to share information on contributions made on empowerment of women • Audience knowledgeable about • the relationship about gender and human rights • the difference between gender and sex • Gender mainstreaming and gender equality • Note: woman and female is used interchangeably

6. Analysis and general overview • Discrimination against women is in various forms, in many societies (as old as human race). • Women are mostly excluded from full participation in most economic, social and cultural activities. • Common for men to dictate all spheres of public affairs including decision making that determine the direction and welfare of all • This situation despondently promote unequal power relationships and leave women vulnerable.

7. Analysis and general overview • According to the UN literature, studies conducted indicated that women • earn only one tenth of the world’s income • own less than one-hundredth of the world’s property • constitute two-thirds of the world’s illiterates • (Gender Resource Package for Peacekeeping Operations, 2004) • The women in Zambia constitutes more than 51% of the population (CSO population Census 2010)

8. Analysis and general overview • Police profession has been male dominated especially in senior and decision making positions reinforcing notion that women are inferior to men • The police officer is a product of the same prejudiced and gendered society in which both men and women are socialized the same way. • The history of the Zambia police still plays a role in the institutional progress rate in addressing gender issues • Up to 1996, the highest rank any female police reached was A/supt

9. Analysis and general overview • Women police officers broadly assigned to supportive police roles e.g. clerical duties and not the core police duties such as operations • Result impacting negatively on general service delivery because police is not representative of the community it serves • Consequences are spiral and preserves the economic, cultural and social status quo.

10. Key Legal/guiding instruments • UN charter (1948) • Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (1979) • UNSCR 1325 (2000) • AU and SADC Protocols on Gender • The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) • Zambian Constitution • Zambia National Gender Policy (2000) • Anti-Gender Based Violence Act.1 of (2011)

11. Major Challenges • Inadequate Legislature and inconsistent laws, • Social and cultural beliefs • Inadequate policy (recruitment, training, promotion, etc) • Attitude • Misinformation • Ignorance • High illiteracy levels among women • Phobia • Absence of role models • Low self esteem and general lack of confidence • Poverty of the mind • Unequal power relation of women in society • Limited resources

12. Strategies • Advocating for legal reforms to ensure gender sensitivity consistence. Currently the Zambia Constitution is under review and this provides an opportunity for positive amendments towards achieving gender parity • Increase public awareness campaigns to attract political will and resources for creating favourable and supportive environment for the police, • Advocate for partnerships with civil society, experts, entities of the UN System and other stakeholders to help review existing policies and fulfil commitments as well as to address vices such as attitude, misinformation, ignorance, illiteracy, phobia, etc. • Conducting joint responsibility involving both men and women (“ I care about her campaign” under Men for Change)

13. Strategies • Build capacity and develop skills e.g. management and leadership through training couching and mentoring to empower women before exposing them to leadership positions • Consider promoting to senior positions and supporting women police officers • Establishment of a gender office and appointing senior and trained gender officers to spearhead gender issues, • Implementing gender mainstreaming and mechanisms to ensure practical issues to enhance women empowerment e.g. base line studies, gender check lists, gender disaggregated data, gender policies, integrating gender issues into training, planning, monitoring, procedures and implementation

14. Strategies • At sub-regional level, Zambia is among the Ten (10) SADC Member States that have ratified the SADC Protocol on Gender • Zambia has benefitted from the Gender Mainstreaming Trainings which were supported financially by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)

15. Strategies • Participating in • International conference such as this one to learn from others but also to share knowledge and experiences as well as contribute to empowerment of women police officers • Peacekeeping operation programmes • International training programmes both as facilitators and trainees • UN CSW – share knowledge and learn new practices • SARPCCO programmes (training, games, networking

16. Zambia female Police officers contributing to the UN Global Effort to Increase Women in Peacekeeping (New York, 2009)

17. Zambian peacekeepers in the UN mission

18. Zambian female peacekeepers at UN HQs in New York

19. Key Achievements • Political will; unprecedented development in the country’s almost 50 years’ history to have the first female police IG including all top most 4 ranks (Deputy commissioners of police, Commissioner of Police, DIGP, IGP), inspires self-confidence and esteem in the women folk – sending a message that they can also do it • Participating in international police training programs both as trainees and facilitators; As a UN certified trained trainer (UNAMID pre-deployment training in Ghana).

20. Key Achievements • Establishment of the UN desk to coordinate peacekeeping matters through which a lot of initiatives to empower women have been done. • Zambia police increased 30% 0f female participation police officers for peacekeeping and achieved a record of being among the top ten (10) female PCC • Officers returning from PKO have been role models to others because of their international experience which is also a value addition to the institution • Establishment of the Gender desk within the Zambia Police to spearhead gender mainstreaming

21. Read more about Gender initiatives in the Zambia police by Commissioner Joyce Kasosa

22. Key Achievements • Participation in the development of training modules for police officers both internationally and locally. • Contributing to regional efforts on empowerment of women under SARPCCO e.g Women’s Network • UNHQs Department of Peacekeeping Operations ( Mission Manager). • Participated in visits to Police Contributing Countries (PCC) to screen and select their police officers for peacekeeping • Pearson peacekeeping training programmes (pre-deployment AU/UN) trainees and facilitators.

25. Lessons Learnt • Political will, -has a direct impact on empowerment of women at home and globally • ZP has experienced unprecedented developments where female police officers have reached the top most ranks in police-. • First female IG • First female DIG • First female commissioners of police • First female Deputy commissioners of police • Helping to change attitude for both men and women • Caution not to forget that socialization can be an obstacle

27. Zambian peacekeepers at the 48th IAWP

28. Lessons learnt • Inclusion and empowerment of women in the police; • Promotes and improves their well being, • Ensures democratic policing, service delivery and inspires confidence and trust in the community • Encourages reporting of crimes against women and guarantees increased protection for women and the vulnerable groups • Promotes diversity and good working environment • provide role models and ensure equality between men and women • Affords value addition and ensures attainment of vast experience • Provides the equation and ensure gender sensitivity in policies, programmes, procedures and operations

29. Lessons learnt • New confidence and trust in women police officers is now very evident for example; currently as Commissioner of police I’m responsible for running the two most busy provinces in Zambia; one being Lusaka the host to capital city and the other Copperbelt, hosting the industrial cities that are the economic base of Zambia with the combined population of almost half of the whole Zambia • Unprecedented act which presents yet another opportunity to use leverage and be a role model to other female officers

30. Disaggregated Statistics (current) • Rank Male Female Total % of females • IGP 0 1 1 100 • DIGP 0 1 1 0 • ComPol 6 5 11 45 • DCP 17 0 17 0 • SACP 17 3 20 15 • ACP 47 2 49 4 • S/Supt 109 12 128 9 • Supt 150 35 185 19 • A/Supt 479 67 546 12 • C/Insp 542 482 1,024 47 • Insp 1,773 1,399 3,172 44 • Sgt 1,441 1,251 2,692 46 • Const 4,937 2,694 7,588 35 Grand Total9,518 5,950 15,469 38

31. Way forward • Appreciating that the disproportionate impact of crime on women and vulnerable in society and that concerted efforts to address the gendered impacts of this challenge adequately as long over due • legislative reform; Currently Zambia is reviewing the Constitution and this provides an opportunity for positive amendments in relation to achieving gender parity • Need for policy reviews to ensure Gender sensitivity in all programs and activities and development of Plan of Action on Gender and ensure implementation • Need to set specific targets to be achieved which must also be regularly reviewed and lessons learnt drawn from them • cultural and social Sensitization using various methodologies to continue

32. Way forward • Role modeling, mentoring and couching young and junior female officers by senior counterparts • Use of leverage at every opportunity for women in decision making positions (IG – Compols), women’s network forum, conferences, training, etc • Continue to support and encouraging women police officers to improve themselves in academic qualifications (value addition) in readiness to take up leadership positions • Ensure work environment including office amenities are gender sensitive • Continue to engage male police officers and ensure their involvement in gender issues

33. Conclusion • Empowerment of Women has now since been recognized as a crucial key in any national developmental agenda including in policing and has therefore been brought to the fore as a critical priority if there is to be any meaningful development. • A lot of work is still needed especially in programs aimed at changing the attitude/mindset of both men and women if the change is to be sustained. • Zambia Police is now more positioned than ever before to contribute to empowerment of women at global level

34. Thank you