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BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA - WOMEN IN
POLICE REPORT
Direct Link to Full 46-Page Report:
Sarajevo, 23 June 2010 – The Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, and the EU Police Mission (EUPM) presented the report “Women in Police - Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina” in the BiH Parliamentary Assembly in Sarajevo today, introducing the findings and recommendations that will contribute to the quality of future dialogue and fully affirm women as equal participants in BiH law enforcement services.
The “Women in Police - Situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina” Report represents the joint commitment to implement and encourage initiatives, policies and programs which follow the United Nation Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security.
“The Agency for Gender Equality of BiH has finalized the Action Plan for the implementation of this Resolution today, and intends to forward it to the parliamentary procedure this week,” said Samra Hadžiabdić-Filipović, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality. “This Action Plan will help us to fully implement the Resolution provided the commitment of the State institutions and the intensified cooperation with the international and non-governmental organisations responsible for the issue of women representation.”
The preparation of the Report was prompted by lack of substantial, systematic and comprehensive assessment of the situation on policewomen in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the information necessary to make the police – and policing in general – more gender-responsive. This document assesses different aspects of female policing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the participation, the process of recruitment and promotion, training, disciplinary procedures and sexual harassment, work–family life balance, general working conditions, as well as cooperation and association. While the findings are encouraging, there is still work to be done to achieve real equality in the police. With 6.3% of female police officers and officials, women are underrepresented, with even fewer women in higher ranks.
“If policing were to remain a predominantly male profession, we will not succeed. Police managers need to launch, without further delay, initiatives to increase the recruitment, retention and promotion of women. Gender-responsive policing is indispensable for the development and advancement of democratic police services. This is even more important in post-conflict and transitional societies usually characterized by real and perceived insecurity,” stressed Commissioner Stefan Feller, Head of the EUPM.
The absence of female police officials in higher ranks may relate to the fact that 15 years ago very few women were serving in the police in BiH. As a consequence, most female police officials do not have the years of service required for the most senior ranks and positions yet. Many European countries face similar problems, and the EUPM is also concerned about the participation of women.
“In the EUPM, only some 15 percent of our international staff is female. It is clear that this number is unsatisfactory. We have even less women in management positions,” said Feller. “Therefore, we encourage our Member States to lead by example and to second more women to the EUPM. I have noted that police women from Bosnia and Herzegovina are participating in UN-lead peace operations. From my own experience in UN and EU missions, I have learned that women are making a real difference in the success of a peace mission.”
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