The Integration of Gender into Police Services
Seminar Report
Freetown and Tokeh Beach, Sierra Leone
23-26 September 2013
1
Sierra Leone Police
A FORCE FOR GOOD
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) began its reform process in 1997. As part of this process, the service
developed a number of key policies that seek to promote gender equality and responsiveness.
These include the gender mainstreaming policy and sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual
harassment policy (both 2008). The police also introduced an accelerated promotion scheme and an
intensive recruitment procedure to increase the hiring and advancement opportunities for female
service members. In 2011 the SLP decided to assess and evaluate for the first time the
implementation and effect of its gender-related policies. To this end, it conducted a gender selfassessment in 2011 with the support of the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed
Forces (DCAF) and a local external consultant (Dr Aisha Fofana Ibrahim). This enabled the SLP to
assess its achievements to date in integrating gender issues in its reform process, and identify
remaining gaps as well as good practices to inform the ongoing restructuring.
Visit us at: http://police.gov.sl
DCAF, a Centre for security, development and the rule of law, is one of the world’s leading
institutions in the areas of security sector reform and governance. DCAF provides in-country
advisory support and practical assistance programmes, develops and promotes appropriate
democratic norms at the international and national levels, advocates good practices, provides
capacity building and training, and conducts policy-related research to ensure effective democratic
governance of the security sector. Visit us at: www.dcaf.ch
Author: Caroline Pradier
We would like to thank all workshop participants for sharing their experiences and providing input
for this workshop report.
Editors: Karin Grimm, Alice Kielmann
Designed by Alice Kielmann
© SLP and DCAF 2014. All rights reserved.
The Integration of Gender into Police Services
Seminar Report
Freetown and Tokeh Beach, Sierra Leone
23-26 September 2013
ACRONYMS
CLEEN
CLEEN foundation, former Centre for Law Enforcement Education
DCAF
Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces
GBV
Gender-based violence
IOM
International Organization for Migration
MSWGCA
Ministry of Social Welfare, Women’s and Children’s Affairs
NGO
Non-Governmental Organisational
SGBV
Sexual and gender-based violence
SLP
Sierra Leone Police
SSR
Security Sector Reform
UNICEF
United Nations Children's Fund
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1
OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
2
OPENING STATEMENTS
RICHARD MOIGBE - DEPUTY INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE
NAASU FOFANAH - GENDER ADVISOR, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT
ANJA EBNÖTHER – ASSISTANT DIRECTOR AND HEAD OF OPERATIONS III, DCAF
FRANCIS ALLIEU MUNU -INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE
MOIJUE KAIKAI - MINISTER OF SOCIAL WELFARE, GENDER AND CHILDREN’S AFFAIRS
JOSEPH BANDABLA DAUDA - MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
CHIEF SAMUEL SAM SUMANA – VICE-PRESIDENT OF SIERRA LEONE
2
2
2
3
4
4
5
5
DAY ONE
8
KEY POLICING PRINCIPLES
INTRODUCTION TO GENDER, GENDER AND SECURITY
INTEGRATING GENDER INTO POLICE SERVICES
PERCEPTION ANALYSIS
8
8
9
13
DAY TWO
16
PLANNING AND ORGANISING
FACILITATION SKILLS
16
18
DAY THREE
19
CLOSING AND CERTIFICATION
21
hhso
INTRODUCTION
In Freetown, Sierra Leone, DCAF in collaboration with the Sierra Leone Police, organised a regional
seminar on the integration of gender issues in police services from 23-26 September 2013. The aim
of the seminar was to offer a platform of exchange on good practices and of learning opportunities
between members of different West African police services, in order to contribute to more genderresponsive police services.
More specifically, the seminar sought to 1) strengthen the understanding of gender and police
reform in the participating police services; 2) build a better technical knowledge of key areas in
gender and police reform; 3) share experiences, good practices, challenges and lessons learned on
police reform and gender.
The seminar brought together around 25 participants from the police services of Côte d’Ivoire,
Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone, with whom DCAF has had prior collaboration on gender
and security issues.
Each police institution was invited to send 5 participants, coming from the following different
services and units:







Gender Directorates/Gender Focal Points
Human Resources
Training
Family Support/GBV Unit
Internal Oversight or Complaints Unit
Directorate/Unit concerned with police reform issues or institutional development
Community Relations
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OFFICIAL OPENING CEREMONY
The seminar started with an official opening ceremony organised by the SLP at the Kingtom Senior
Police Officer’s mess for 150 representatives from Sierra Leonean ministries, security sector
institutions, parliament, civil society organisations and international organisations based in Freetown
and the participants to the seminar from the different police services of Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea,
Liberia, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
OPENING STATEMENTS
Assistant Inspector General Mustapha Kamara, Director of Corporate Affairs, opened the ceremony
and welcomed the participants to the seminar. He underlined the importance of the event as a
milestone in the history of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and stated that it was an honour to host this
interregional meeting with participants from Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Sierra
Leone.
Richard Moigbe - Deputy
Inspector General of Police
Richard Moigbe, Deputy Inspector General of the
Sierra Leone Police and chair of the opening
ceremony, welcomed all participants and thanked
the Vice-President of Sierra Leone, Samuel SamSumana, for his presence. He emphasized the
importance of the event as a sub-regional working
seminar. Deputy Inspector Moigbe further
highlighted the successful partnership between
the SLP and DCAF for which the SLP selfassessment survey on gender laid the foundation
in 2011. The results of this survey were published
in the case study “The Integration of a Gender Perspective in the Sierra Leone Police”.
Since then, the SLP has taken considerable steps towards the comprehensive integration of gender,
including most notably the establishment of a Gender Unit, the mainstreaming of gender into
training curricula and the reviewing of peacekeeping policies with a gender lens. Additionally, the
policies will be brought in line with the pillar on gender issues and women’s empowerment, pillar 8
of the “Agenda for Prosperity” that was launched by the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai
Koroma.
Naasu Fofanah - Gender Advisor, Office of the President
Naasu Fofanah, Gender Advisor to the Office of the President, also mentioned the importance of the
8th pillar of the President’s “Agenda for Prosperity” which refers to gender equality and women’s
empowerment. The pillar is supported by a working group comprised of all Ministries, Departments,
Agencies, and development partners. The working group has prepared a comprehensive report on
the state of implementation of the 8th pillar, to be sent to the President.
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Advisor Fofanah stated that the strategic priorities of
the SLP include the improvement of services for
personnel, the development of intelligence-led policing
and of scientific support to allow prosecutions of
crimes, including gender-based violence crimes. One of
the concrete steps to increase the representation and
participation of women in the security sector would be
to achieve a minimum of a 30% quota for women for
decision-making positions. Despite the fact that this
poses a particular challenge to the current system, the
police management should try to ensure that more
women are promoted to the rank of Assistant
Inspector General and senior officers.
Further, Advisor Fofanah recognised that the SLP was the first security sector institution to introduce
a policy on Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH). This, together with the establishment
of the Gender Unit, should create an enabling environment for men and women within the SLP.
Anja Ebnöther – Assistant
Director and Head of
Operations III, DCAF
After welcoming the opportunity to cooperate
with the SLP, Anja Ebnöther pointed out that all of
the participating police services were in the
process of reforming and transforming their
institutions for the purpose of gender
mainstreaming. Ms Ebnöther, briefly summarising
DCAF’s work on security sector reform and
governance with partners in West Africa, stressed
the importance of the integration of gender for
the effective work of justice and security services which is considered to be crucial in the response to
the different needs of the population (men, women, boys and girls).
In addition to the progress made with regards to integrating gender into security sector reform (SSR)
in Sierra Leone, Ms Ebnöther mentioned different initiatives currently undertaken by police
institutions in other countries in the region.
The Liberian National Police recently reviewed its gender policy. The National Police of Senegal
revived the “Female Police Officers Network” and several women have reached the highest
hierarchy level and decision-making positions. In Côte d’Ivoire, the National police is in the process
of conducting a gender self assessment survey.
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Francis Allieu Munu Inspector General of
Police
Francis Allieu Munu, Inspector General of
Police, underlined that the collaboration
between the SLP and DCAF has resulted in
various projects which contributed to
making the SLP one of the most genderresponsive security institutions in West
Africa. He stated that the launching of the
seminar was a practical manifestation of
how the SLP has embraced and
implemented gender issues.
The Inspector General further explained that the government of Sierra Leone has adopted a National
Action Plan on the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1325 and 1820, a
gender mainstreaming policy led by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs
(MSWGCA) which formed the legal framework for the SLP’s projects.
In addition, the newly established Gender Unit included trained staff and gender focal points for
every region of the country; and more policies on gender issues have been put in place focusing on
recruitment, retention, promotion and rewards.
Moijue Kaikai - Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and
Children’s Affairs
Minister Kaikai stated that the government of Sierra Leone – in particular through the MSWGCA has now concluded the second phase of a project on Gender and Security Sector Reform which aims
at enhancing community women’s participation in the security sector. This initiative was supported
by DCAF through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as the recipient agency.
Gender-based violence, as Minister Kaikai emphasised, is a
serious threat to human security in Sierra Leone. Thus,
responsive intervention mechanisms need to be set up. He
also mentioned that the collaboration between the
MSWGCA and the SLP is very strong and continues to be
strong. Such collaborations include close working
relationships between the Ministry and the Family Support
Unit (FSU) of the SLP, the promulgation of the gender
justice laws, the three gender acts (the Domestic Violence
Act, the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce
Act and the Devolution of Estates Act), the Anti-Human
Trafficking Act, the Standard Operating Procedure on SLP
guidelines on sexual and gender-based violence, the Sexual
Offences Act of 2012 and the National Referral Protocol on
Gender-based Violence, among others.
4
Joseph Bandabla Dauda - Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister Joseph Bandabla Dauda emphasised that gender mainstreaming has become a key policy
objective ever since President Koroma came to power. The Gender Outreach Office, which was
established within the Office of the President, has the mandate to mainstream gender into the
activities of all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies as well as to identify gender focal points. A
comprehensive integration of a gender equality dimension
into the police services is critical in order to ensure
ownership, effective delivery of justice and security services
as well as in order to strengthen inclusion, oversight and
accountability.
Minister Dauda further noted that many countries in Africa
fail to involve women in decision-making processes due to
discriminatory roles and stereotypes present in society. In
addition to this, gender dynamics are not taken into
account when attempting to understand issues such as
sexual and gender-based violence or small arms violence.
As a result, security institutions do not act as providers of
security and justice services, continue to perpetuate human
rights violations and remain strongholds of discrimination
and harassment.
The security environment has become more complex and modern security actors are now required
to perform guidance tasks. The focus of the security sector has shifted from fighting for the security
of the national territory to a wider spectrum of lower intensity operations such as crisis
management, peace support operations and humanitarian operations abroad. Such diverse tasks
demand diverse skills. There is a need for greater capacities and greater resources in order to handle
these different security issues. In order for an organisation to operate efficiently, it has to take
advantage of the diversity of background skills and experience of its members.
Sierra Leone - as a nation - is moving towards this direction and has transcended all these nuances
by repositioning the security needs of its citizens, by moving from the concepts of state and physical
security to eventually human security. After thanking the SLP for its initiatives in all gender-related
matters, Minister Dauda pledged to give his continued support to the police in carrying out its daily
operations.
Chief Samuel Sam Sumana – Vice-President of Sierra Leone
Vice-President Chief Samuel Sam Sumana said he was very much pleased to be part of the opening
of the regional seminar organised jointly by the SLP and DCAF. He said that gender is a priority for
the government of Sierra Leone. The reform process of the SLP started in 1997 in order to make sure
that the institution became ‘A Force for Good’. Vice-President Sam Sumana was very pleased with
the approach taken by the Sierra Leone Police, especially with the fact that a higher number of
female police officers had been recruited. According to the Vice-President, this shows that the SLP is
on the right track when it comes to mainstreaming gender.
5
He further appreciated the SLP’s efforts in recruiting female university graduates as well as in
encouraging them to reach higher level positions within the police. This in turn would encourage
other women to also join the SLP. Vice-President Sam
Sumana particularly appreciated the work of the MSWGCA
and the Ministry of Internal Affairs which, despite all of the
challenges, cooperate to ensure that there is a strict ‘NO’ to
sexual violence in the SLP. He reiterated that the leadership
of the country has zero tolerance policy for issues of sexual
harassment within the security forces.
He thanked DCAF for organising the seminar and stressed
that the journey of integrating gender into the various
security forces has just begun. He further encouraged the
exchange of good practices and discussions amongst the
participants.
The Vice-President then formally declared the seminar
open.
The opening ceremony ended with a question and answer session.
6
After the official opening ceremony, the participants were received by the Inspector General of the
Sierra Leone Police, Francis Allieu Munu, at the SLP headquarters. They also met and received a
presentation from the peacekeeping unit, on the current and past deployments of members of the
SLP in peacekeeping missions.
The seminar participants then left Freetown for Tokeh Beach, for three days of seminar. The seminar
was designed to be participatory and interactive with short presentations and plenary sessions,
brainstorming, question and answer sessions, group discussions and working sessions on gender and
police reform topics. The methods of the sessions included presentations, facilitated discussions and
group exercises.
7
Day One
The first day mainly focused on the definition of key concepts that would be discussed during the
course of the event. What is gender? What are the key principles of policing? It served as a basis in
order to make sure that all participants had a similar understanding of those concepts.
Key policing principles
Firstly, Paulo Costa, Head of DCAF’s Police Programme-Operations 1, discussed the main policing
principles with the participants.
He invited the participants to brainstorm on what it meant for them to work in a modern police
institution. What are the elements that make a ‘democratic police service’? Some of the participants
discussed which principles were important for them, as police officers: gender, respect of the rights
of the police personnel, the necessity to give incentives to the personnel and to pay attention to
working conditions.
He underlined the fact that the police are the mirror of society and that they should work as a public
service, in accordance with human rights. A good police service should operate by upholding the rule
of law, respecting integrity, encouraging accountability and transparency in order to gain public
support and to effectively address the needs of the population. He also mentioned the importance
of gender issues in order to provide good policing services.
Introduction to gender, gender and security
In the second session, Karin Grimm and
Caroline Pradier, of DCAF’s Gender and
Security Team, introduced the concepts of
gender and security, and discussed the
relevance of gender for security. Through
interactive exercises participants looked at the
differences between “sex” and “gender”. They
also discussed the various understandings of
“security” and how this concept has evolved
over the past decades. In addition to the
security of the state, the concept of “security”
is now also taking into account the security of
individual human beings. This implies that in
order to effectively respond to the needs of the population, service delivery has to consider this new
aspect of security.
The importance and benefits of integrating gender into security sector reform were discussed, with a
particular focus on police reform. The participants also looked at how gender can be integrated into
those reform processes. It was stressed that gender issues are not only about women, which is only
one of the aspects, but that there are other dimensions. It is also about effectively responding to the
needs of women, men, boys and girls as an institution.
8
Integrating gender into police services
The afternoon was devoted to discussing some specific areas that could serve as entry points for the
integration of gender into police services. The two sessions included presentations by Anike Doherty
and Karin Grimm of DCAF’s Gender and Security Programme and Barbara Maigari from the CLEEN
Foundation on: a) institutional policies, b) human resources, c) complaints mechanisms, d) how to
respond to cases of GBV, e) community relations and f) training.
a) Institutional policies
Institutional policies are fundamental in creating a culture inside
an institution. They also take into account the questions of
service delivery, as they touch upon the type of service that is
given to the community.
The formulation of institutional policies helps create new norms,
build a new culture within the institution, support the
development of new concepts of programmatic interventions
and improve service delivery. Once the policy has been
developed and adopted, the implementation stage begins. This
stage involves developing education and training instruments,
conducting sensitisation and awareness raising activities and
applying the policy. However, in order to be efficient, the
implementation of a policy needs to be monitored and evaluated
to make sure that the implementation plan is being followed.
The evaluation of institutional policies has to be done
periodically; this makes it relevant and effective as it helps to
identify gaps and document the lessons learnt.
In the subsequent discussion, some of the participants shared
their experience with changes in institutional policies that took
place in their institutions. For example, the accelerated
promotion scheme in the Sierra Leone Police was discussed. The
policy was introduced to the service in 2005, as the quickest way
to increase the number of female personnel in the middle
management. The scheme targets college-educated female
9
personnel. Interestingly enough, this is not a formal policy, but just a temporal measure established
in order to bridge the gap between male and female personnel. This measure has been seen as the
most controversial gender-orientated practice, as many male and female officers felt discriminated
against.
Another example discussed was the institutional gender policy of the Liberian National Police. This
policy, approved in 2005 and revised in 2011, seeks to address gender issues within the institution. It
looks at ways to improve recruitment, retention and promotion of female officers, but also at how to
improve the service delivery for the population, especially women and girls. The challenge of having
a sufficient budget for policy implementation was highlighted.
b) Human resources management
The main aspect discussed of this topic was how to turn the police services into an attractive
employer. Human resources management is about managing a workforce; how to attract, select,
train and reward the service’s employees. Furthermore, it is about overseeing and advising the
leadership and about overseeing compliance with human rights. The session looked at some of the
possible entry points that exist for integrating gender in human resources management.
Selected considerations in human resources management
Recruitment
Retention
Promotions
• Review policies and selection criteria
• Targetted recruitment campaigns
• Trained and gender-balanced recruitment teams
• Targets/quotas for training & positions
• Equipment & logistics
• Fair salary and pension policies
• Tackle SGBV
• Family friendly policies
• Fair promotion criteria
• Objective performance assessments
• Equal access to training
It was pointed out that in Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire, the recruitment criteria for joining the police
service are the same for men and women.
There was also a discussion on the implications of having women in a police service. The institution
needs to be able to answer their specific needs, use their skills appropriately and also needs to be
flexible when women become mothers. However, if the police service wanted to be really gendersensitive, then issues like ‘paternity leave’ would also need to be addressed.
10
Some participants pointed out that it can be difficult to find a balance between various institutional
changes that have to take place, especially when the country has signed certain international norms
and laws, and the personal / traditional culture. It is a process that takes time, a process that is not
only about changing the culture of the institution, but also about changing behaviours of some the
personnel inside the force.
c) Complaints mechanisms
As part of its role in securing and maintaining public confidence, a police service must have
complaints mechanisms that ensure accountability and spread good practices with high standards of
customer service. It is crucial for these complaints mechanisms to be gender-sensitive. By recruiting
male and female staff, including members of minorities, the police service can better reflect the
diversity of the population they are serving. But also, it will make it easier for the police to
understand gender-based complaints coming from the public. Gender-sensitive complaints
mechanisms also allow for victims of SGBV to freely make complaints of human rights abuse and
crimes committed against them.
One of the participants pointed out that in Sierra Leone, in the Family Support Units, over 60% of the
personnel is male, even though the majority of the crime reporting is made by women who come to
these units located inside the police stations. This example was given to explain that what matters in
the end is the confidence that people have in the police, not who is taking a person’s complaint. It is
also very important to cooperate with women’s organisations, social workers at the community
level, in order to ensure effective reporting mechanisms. This model of policing that focuses on the
police building ties and working closely with the communities they operate in, has been widely
implemented in the Anglophone countries, like in Liberia, where community policing is very
effective.
In Côte d’Ivoire, this cooperation happens for cases of child protection, but not in cases of GBV. On
the other hand, Guinea has just started to focus on this approach.
d) Responding to cases of SGBV
One of the big challenges faced by police services in
West Africa is to effectively respond to cases of sexual
and gender-based violence (SGBV).
In order to respond to those cases, the first step is to
understand the definition of sexual and gender-based
violence. Harm or abuse can take three forms: it can be
physical, sexual or emotional. It is also important to
remember that SGBV can be committed by strangers,
especially in war and armed conflicts situations, or in the
context of internally displaced people camps. But, for
the majority of cases, they are committed by someone
who is known to the victim: it can be the intimate
partner or the spouse, a family member or a friend or
acquaintances, like a neighbour or someone from the
same community.
Police services need to keep in mind the factors that are contributing to the perpetuation of cases of
SGBV. A lack of rule of law does not only give impunity to perpetrators, but also creates
11
circumstances in which potential victims cannot be sufficiently protected. In the context of war and
armed conflict, SBGV is often used as a method of waging war and conflict. Acknowledging those
factors can help improve prevention mechanisms.
For a long time, SGBV issues have been seen as a private matter, best discussed and resolved inside
the family. This, along with poor service delivery from the police, has mainly discouraged victims
from reporting those crimes. The situation is slowly changing in police services with the adoption of
specific legislation and the creation of units to fight against those crimes.
The police can take a 3-level approach to prevent, fight and respond to those cases.
Level 1
• Prevention
Level 2
• Risk reduction
Level 3
• Response
Prevention: the police have to work to address SGBV before it occurs. In this case, it is very
important to build strong relations with the community, especially NGOs and women’s groups, as
they can support the police in their work.
Risk reduction: includes education and awareness-raising. It is an opportunity for the police to
conduct campaigns with local NGOs.
Response: make sure that the chain of response is in place. It starts with immediate police response
and investigation; medical and emotional support, and should lead to criminal justice with
prosecution of the offenders, sentencing and reparations.
e) Community relations
Just as communities rely on efficient police work, efficient police work relies on cooperation with the
communities - for example in resolving crimes and achieving safety objectives. Thus, in order to
conduct their work efficiently and responsibly, it is essential for the police to establish trust-based
relationships with the communities they work in. This might be particularly difficult in cases in which
citizens have been victims of abuse by the police in the past.
Consultations with women/men community groups can be a helpful instrument to foster the
exchange between civil society and the police services and to build trust between the various actors
working on security related issues. It also contributes to a positive perception of the police by the
wider public. How different parts of the community perceive an institution is vital to how able the
institution is to meet their needs. Those groups that directly provide services to the public - e.g. local
women’s groups that provide shelter to victims of gender and sexual based violence - can qualify as
adequate partners for collaboration and consultation.
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f) Gender and Training
Gender training is a very useful tool for the police institution as it provides a better understanding of
the different roles, needs and experiences of both women and men, and it helps challenge inequality
and discrimination, in the institution and in service delivery.
Gender training can strengthen the effective delivery of security and justice service; can create a
better working environment for men and women and can prevent human rights violations by
security sector personnel.
To have gender training in a police
organisation, two approaches can be
taken. The first one is to mainstream
gender into all relevant existing training.
Training on issues like child protection,
change management, peacekeeping,
monitoring etc., should have a gender
component.
The second one is to deliver training on
gender-related issues. Training on specific
issues like the prevention of sexual and
gender-based violence, harassment and
discrimination or human rights can be
hold.
Perception analysis
For the last part of the day, the participants were asked to reflect on their own institutions, and to
discuss amongst them the reality they are faced with when it comes to integrating gender. The
topics covered in the previous sessions were given to them: institutional policies, human resources,
external and internal control, responses to SGBV, community relations, gender training.
For each of the above topic, they had to write down an area where they thought that their police
service: 1) is already much advanced, or 2) is less advanced, when it comes to integrating gender.
The table below presents some of the points that were raised by the participants when analysing
their own institution. It synthesizes some of the challenges faced by when it comes to the
integration of gender issues in the different polices services.
What can be taken back from the analysis of this table is quite diverse. All police services have
different experiences and ways of addressing the integration of gender into their services. Most of
them chose to look firstly at human resources and recruitment of female personnel. When it comes
to service delivery on the other hand, the experiences are quite different. Some have put in place
specialized structures to address cases of SGBV or improve community policing, but this is not the
most common path. However, it seems that one of the big gaps in all these services is about
providing training on gender, either at the recruitment level or at a later stage of the career. There is
definitely room for improvement, but the situation is changing slowly. It is also interesting to note
that change takes place more quickly in institutions where there is strong support from the highest
level of the hierarchy.
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Country 1
Country 2
Institutional policies
Human Resources
External and
Internal control
More
advanced areas
 existence of two gender
policies
 creation of a gender unit
 review of the peacekeeping
deployment policy
 abolition of the policy
dismissing single women
getting pregnant
 fast promotion scheme for
women
 nomination to positions to
which women would not have
been deployed before
 conduct of a
self
assessment
on the
integration of
gender
 establishment of specific
family units
 collaboration with
relevant ministries,
agencies and social
workers
 training for some officers
Less advanced
areas
 not enough budget
allocation to implement the
policies
 women are not in
management positions
 educated women are not
recruited enough
 the discipline
department
only counts 4
women. Too
male
dominated
 fear of reporting cases
by female officers
because they feel that
they will be the ones
punished
 lack of training to deal
with SGBV cases
More
advanced areas
 better recruitment and
promotion for women:
Existence of two women-only
promotions, in order to have
more female officers in the
service
 female officers hold better
positions, also in decisionmaking bodies
 complaints
mechanisms
in place
Less advanced
areas
 female officers are not
present everywhere in the
service. Discrimination when it
comes to deployment
 the policies exist but are not
implemented
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Responses to SGBV
Community
relations
 specific
directorate
dedicated
to
community
policing
 collaboratio
n on cases
of SGBV
Gender
training
 gender
training
workshops
and gender
sensitisation
exercises
 not every
police officer
knows what
gender
means
 implementa
tion of
community
policing
 not a lot of
women
working in
the holding
cell
 female
officers are
not
respected
 not enough
gender
training
 female officers are being
nominated to decision-making
positions, and sent on
peacekeeping missions
 level of recruitment for
women has increased from
15% to 30%
Country 3
More
advanced areas
 no structure
to evaluate
the
integration of
gender
Less advanced
areas
 head of the police is now a
woman
 female officers are present in
the different units of the
police, including decisionmaking level positions
 no gender discrimination for
peacekeeping deployments
 there are still more male than
female officers, even in the
training school
Country 4
More
advanced areas
Country 5
 creation of a specific unit
dealing with children and
gender affairs
Less advanced
areas
More
advanced areas
 recruitment policies are
being reviewed to provide
equal opportunities
Less advanced
areas
 no gender policy per se
 almost 12% of women in the
service
 same recruitment and exams
procedures for male and
female officers.
 women do not have to be
single and child-free to join
the service
 no specific infrastructure for
women
 women are banned from
joining special intervention
units
15
 newly
created
community
policing
structure
 community
policing is a
new
concept for
this police
service
 no gender
training at
the training
school
 male and
female
recruits
receive the
same training
 no specific unit dealing
with cases of SGBV
 conduct of a
self
assessment
on the
integration of
gender
 no specific unit dealing
with cases of SGBV
 no framework to deal
with those cases
 no gender
training at
the training
school
 same training
for male and
female
recruits
Day Two
One participant was selected to provide a short recapitulation of
the subjects covered on the previous day. After having reviewed
the main concepts, the second day was dedicated to discussing
practical tools for managing change.
Reform and change management
The first session, facilitated by Paulo Costa, discussed the
question of reform and change management. He provided the
participants with the change model ADKAR.
A- Awareness of the need for a change
D- Desire to participate and support change
K- Knowledge on how to manage the process
A- Ability to implement required behaviours
R- Reinforcement to sustain change
The participants were familiarised, around a practical exercise, with the different aspects of change
management. Mr. Costa underlined the fact that reform means change. Change is a complex and
long process that needs to happen at both level: the individual and the organisational level.
Planning and organising
He then covered the question of planning in order to organise and support the reform and change
management processes. There are a number of tools that can be used to manage the process. One
of them is the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis method to analyse
the different issues that their organisations are facing. In a group work exercise, the participants
applied the SWOT analysis on the integration of gender to their respective police institution. The
results are in the table below.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
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Country 1
Strengths
 community policing
 integrating gender issues
in the police
Country 2
Country 3
Country 4
Country 5
 integrating gender
issues in the police
 used in the
curriculum

 confidence and support
from community and
authorities
 police representing
the community
 political will of senior
police authorities to
integrate gender
 budgetary constraints
 lack of
implementation
 small number of police
officers
 limited resources
 lack of institutional
polices
 not enough training for
personnel
 community relation
links with
international
organisations
 non governmental
support to protect
victims of SGBV
 support from the
international community
 establishing community
police
 existence of political
policy supporting
police in training of
personnel
 security reform and
good opportunities for
integration
 low cooperation of
authorities
 institutional support
 development
partners
 support to capacity
building




Weaknesses
 inadequate training on
gender and logistics
Opportunities
 organisational support to
train personnel on gender
issues
 forensic analysis
sponsored by external
agencies
Threats
 unwillingness of the
public to work with the
police
 lack of awareness
17
rehabilitation
lack of awareness
non adherence
lack of budget
Facilitation skills
Communication and transfer of knowledge and expertise are important elements of any change
management process. The afternoon of the second day of the seminar laid a focus on facilitation
skills in their broader sense. In a short presentation, different teaching methods and learning styles
were explored. It was emphasised that everyone has different teaching needs and experiences. This
should be taken into account when developing training modules or when addressing an audience in
general. Communication can be facilitated with three easy steps: 1. listening, 2. questioning, 3.
understanding.
In a series of small role plays, the participants then were asked to put into practice the different
tools discussed in the previous sessions. The topics covered by the role plays were the following:
police information campaigning in the communities, internal lobbying for resources and gender
training.
Each participant received a character with specific instructions on the role they had to play during
the play-out of the scenarios, applying their facilitation skills and expertise on the topics.
A more complex scenario was given out at the end of the day. The exercise started at the level of a
fictional district in a fictional country. The participants had to discuss the different security problems
and needs faced by the community. In a series of meetings at different levels the participants had to
use their facilitation and communication skills, adapting it each time to the level of the audience.
The first meeting took place at the district council level, the second within the district police
headquarters, the last one at the capital police headquarters.
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Day Three
After a short recapitulation of the previous day by one of the participants, groups were formed
according to country with the task of developing a concrete action plan for their institution. Using
the results of the SWOT analysis that they had conducted the day before, the groups had to propose
concrete actions for an effective integration of gender into their police service.
The results presented below come from the draft gender unit action plan.
E.g. Sierra Leone Police Gender Unit Draft Action Plan 2013-2014
Problems
1. Poor Investigation of sexual and gender-based (SGBV) cases
o Non forensic evidence
o Poor reception of SGBV victims
o Lack of interview skills for victims
o Survivors of SGBV
2. Lack of skilled personnel
o Transfers of trained gender personnel to other units
o Lack of motivation for skilled personnel
3. Negative socio-cultural perception on gender issues
o Misconception of gender roles
o Uneven distribution of opportunities
Solutions
1. Proper Investigation of SGBV cases
o Training on presentation and analysing forensic evidence
o Providing equipment / laboratory on forensic analysis
o Training 1 on counselling for personnel on SGBV
o Training on interview skills and interview techniques
o Provision of safe homes for victims / survivors of SGBV
o Training on interview skills / techniques for personnel on SGBV
2. Skilled personnel on dealing with gender issues
o Train personnel on gender issues
o Retain skilled personnel within the specialised unit
o Motivate skilled personnel
o Conduct seminars / workshops
o Developing gender friendly policies e.g. retention policies
3. Sensitisation on gender issues
o Sensitisation / awareness raising campaigns / bill boards / handouts / media campaigns
/ trade fair
o Developing policies based on equal opportunities
o Writing project proposals, lobbying, liaising with other nongovernmental organisations
and institutions working in gender issues, conducting seminars
Responsible Department
1. Training(Forensic training)
o Conduct local and international training
2. Training Directorate / Gender Unit / Corporate Affairs Department
Objective one: Building the capacity of personnel in the Gender Unit
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The different country plans were presented and discussed in plenary. It was hoped that the
participants could use these action plans to work towards an enhanced integration of gender issues
within their institution.
S/
No
Activities
Expected
outcome
Implementing
period
1
1
2
Training
needs
identified
for
personnel
Training
needs
identified
Train
Personnel
personnel trained
on SGBV
and
cases
posted in
FSU and
Gender
Unit
x
x
2
xx
x
x
x
x
3
With
whom
in SLP
Outside SLP
Resources
Assumption
Results
SLP
Gender
Unit &
Training
Director
ate
SLP
Gender
Unit &
Training
Director
ate
DCAF &
MSWGCA
Stationery
Human
Resources
4 Regional Focal
persons would
have been trained
4
20
DCAF,
MSWGCA
and UNICEF
Financial
resources
Stationery
Human
Resources
Financial
Resources
Provision of
financial human
and stationery in
time
CLOSING AND CERTIFICATION
The Inspector General of the SLP joined the closing ceremony of the seminar. He thanked everyone
for their hard work. He also insisted on the fact that it had been a great opportunity for the
participants to meet and exchange on this topic in such a constructive atmosphere. He underlined
the value of such regional exchanges, which offer a good opportunity to learn from each other. He
thanked DCAF for this opportunity and concluded by saying that he hoped the participants would
take back valuable lessons learned and good practices, to improve service delivery in their own
institution.
DCAF and the Inspector General then gave out certificates to the participants.
The seminar ended with some music and dance, thanks to the National Sierra Leone Police Band.
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