WUNRN
How to Include a
Gender Perspective into Security Sector Reform
Starting the Debate: Virtual
Discussion with 170 Experts
Security is a crucial condition for ensuring
human rights in conflict-affected, developing and transitional countries.
Perceptions, risks and needs with respect to security differ between men,
women, boys and girls.
|
Assessment: Prior
to programme development, an assessment analyses the context, determines
programme objectives, and creates baselines for future monitoring and
evaluation. Monitoring: Ongoing
monitoring tracks progress according to defined programme indicators —
qualitative and quantitative — and help the process of evaluation and review. Evaluation: Evaluations
take place at the end of a programme and identify broad lessons learned for
the organisation. Evaluations should be used to inform the development of
subsequent programming. OECD, OECD DAC
Handbook on Security System Reform (SSR) - Supporting Security and Justice,
p. 71 |
The institutions and organizations
responsible for ensuring the day-to-day security of people, such as the police,
military, judiciary, border guards, rule of law agencies,
policy-making institutions and non-statutory security actors as the media or
armed militias, are commonly known as the security sector..
The role of the security sector has an active
impact on peace and security and peoples’ physical and psychological
conditions.
Security sector reform (SSR) is increasingly
recognized as an essential aspect of peace building and promotion of human
rights. It is essential to ensure that a gender perspective is integrated into
all SSR initiatives in order to build and strengthen a democratic, transparent
and effective security sector.
The security sector reforms need to frame
efforts through assessment, monitoring and evaluation from a gender
perspective. It is important to assess the condition and context of security
before implementing SSR initiatives, to monitor the process of SSR and to
evaluate the success or failure of reform efforts.
Moreover, it is fundamental to include a
gender analysis (audits) in the Security Sector Institution in order to provide
a means of analyzing gender issues at the level of policy, budget and personnel.
From the 4 to 29 June 2007, circa 170 experts
from various areas of gender and the security sector worldwide discussed what a
gender responsive audits, assessment, monitoring and evaluation process could
reflect.
The
results of the virtual discussion include the following 10 recommendations:
How to include a gender prespective in
Assessments, Monitoring and Evaluation of SSR’s programmes?
1)
Involve female opinion leaders
Although being often less visible there are
several actors and organizations that have a decisive impact on security.
Female opinion leaders, school teachers, religious groups and women’s
organizations can give decisive input to SSR assessments. By interviewing
female opinion leader before implementing a security programme, is
possible to draw a complete picture of the situation.
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The virtual discussion on Gender Training for Security Sector Personnel was part of a
joint project of UN-INSTRAW (United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women), DCAF ( Control of Armed Forces) and ODIHR (OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights). The issues raised during the three-week dialogue serve as an input to a comprehensive Gender & Security Sector Reform Toolkit that will be published at the beginning of 2008. |
2)
Include gendered research questions
How many men and women are displaced? Is
gender based violence an issue in the current context? How does the socio
economic situation differ between men and women?
What you ask is what you get. By including a
gender perspective into research questions a more complete data collection is
possible.
3)
Collect data disaggregated by sex
Men and women may suffer different forms of
violence and are exposed to different types of risks and threats. It’s crucial
to collect quantitative data figures a distinction on the base of sex, age and
ethnicity.
4)
Form assessment teams that include both men and women
Who decides what will be analysed? Who
manages the security sector?
Women are often outnumbered by their male
counterparts in the security sector. Analysing the security sector and its
reform as objectively as possible implies including men and women equally.
5)
Use gender sensitive indicators
Indicators are means that measure and
visualize performance. They are at risk to be one dimensional if they are not
sensitive to the differences between men, women, boys and girls.
How to improve the gender sensitiveness in
the Security Sector Institutions?
6) Conduct gender audits
Analysing a security sector institution for
its gender responsiveness helps to find space of improvement or starting gender
mainstreaming activities. It examines gender balance, working atmosphere, impact
on the population and recruitment procedures.
7) Carry out gender budget analysis
The gender dimension remains to be still
marginalized within security programs although literature, legal provisions,
policy makers and practitioners call for more investments in this area. Often
highly understaffed and badly financed multiple gender mainstream initiatives
fail. Analyzing how much it is actually invested to reduce issues such as
gender based violence help to make SSIs more transparent and accountable.
8) Create participatory gender action plans
A popular monitoring tool with respect to
gender mainstreaming, are gender action plans, which indicate concrete
activities and performance indicators. In participatory processes these action
plans can be made comprehensive.
9) Build sustainable capacity
Gender training for security is a big asset
and improves the institutions capacity in order to respond to security needs
and threats in a comprehensive matter. Public awareness and continuous reflection
make a process and gender mainstreaming more sustainable.
10) Involve independent oversight mechanisms
By consulting external consultants and
women’s organizations a more objective perspective can be gained outside of
rigid and often hierarchical structures. A dynamic learning process can be
stipulated this way.
Valeria
Vilardo - UN INSTRAW - vilardo@un-instraw.org
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