BAGHDAD
— As one, the stony faces broke into a free-for-all of kisses, hugs and tears
on Monday as the 50 women who called themselves the Lioness group became the
first female graduates of Iraq’s
police officer training academy.
On
a vast concrete parade ground, the women joined 1,050 male classmates in what
American military officers, who provided advice on the training, called a step
forward for the country and its women.
“Some
people have a view of Iraqi women that for them to join the police academy is a
shame,” said Alla Nozad Falih, 22, wearing a star on her epaulet that marked
her as a first lieutenant. Like about half of the group’s members, she wore her
hair uncovered except by a uniform blue beret, and like 26 of her female
classmates, she joined the academy after finishing law school.
The
job of officer in the national police force is among the highest paying
available in Iraq, but also one of the most dangerous; officers and trainees
are favorite targets of insurgents.
“It’s
been my desire since I was a kid to be a police officer, and now I am one,”
Lieutenant Falih said. “We are proud to be officers, and we encourage other
women to be officers because it’s a great job.”
Women
have long worked in the lower police ranks here, directing traffic or searching
other women at checkpoints, but until now they have been ineligible for the
elite officers’ corps. The government changed the rules this year. Several
police officials who were questioned did not have an explanation for either the
change or the previous prohibition.
The
women studied and trained separately from the men, but were subject to the same
standards, said Col. Randy Twitchell of the United
States Army, a consultant on the nine-month course.
Though
the graduates do not have their first assignments yet, Colonel Twitchell and
others said the women would not be shunted into administrative jobs, but would
take part in investigations and forensic
work.
For
First Lt. Noor Waled, 22, who joined the academy after getting a degree in
anthropology, the hardest part was the physical drill. “Everyone knows women have
soft bodies, so it’s difficult for us to do military training like jumping or
climbing,” she said.
Other
graduates said the hardest part was learning to handle firearms, a skill in
which their male classmates had much more experience.
“When
we first joined, we were shy about wearing the uniforms, carrying guns and
everything,” said First Lt. Farah Hameed, 24, who was a legal investigator
before joining the academy. “But right now we are ready to do anything. Even
the trainer said, ‘Now I can tell you are real officers by the way you
walk.’ ”
All
said their families had encouraged them to join the academy. But during the
course some mentioned receiving threats from men in their communities, said
Nana Shriver, a Danish police major who was an adviser on the women’s training.
Though
the male students all slept at the academy, there was no housing for women, so
they had to commute, some leaving their homes as early as 4 a.m. and returning
after dark.
“We
had workshops about the challenges they face from males, from society,” Major
Shriver said. “Some said they were threatened by others because they were
female.”
But
Lieutenant Hameed, like others, said their gender provided advantages. They
could interview women and children in crimes like rape or sexual abuse in a way
that would be hard for men, she said.
“Everyone
says men are able to do everything, but that’s not true,” she said. “In
investigations, especially with women, women use their compassion with victims
to get them to answer questions clearly.”
Next
year’s class will have 100 women, Colonel Twitchell said.