Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

International Police Association Statement

Global Forum on Food Security and Nutrition

Gender Equality, Rule of Law and Criminal Justice Administration

in Developing Nations

James F. Albrecht

Introduction

The issue of gender equality as it relates to rule of law and the administration of criminal justice may be addressed through a number of perspectives.  First, female victims of crime, whether in urban or rural settings, must have their voices heard and not be denied the opportunity to report their victimization.  Second, criminal justice agencies, such as the police and the courts, must ensure that females are properly represented within their ranks. And third, government officials must ensure that females are granted the same professional and promotional opportunities as their male counterparts.

Analysis & Recommendations: Women Issues in Criminal Justice Administration

When one thinks of the interaction of women and the policing profession, three main issues come to mind. What steps have law enforcement administrators taken to ensure that females are properly represented in front line, supervisory, and executive positions? How do criminal justice officials interact and deal with female victims of crime and women offenders? And in developing countries, and more so in rural areas, have gender responsive measures been implemented to address the sensitive issues involving domestic violence, sexual abuse and harassment, and the ideological and cultural constraints on contact and interaction with females? 

When put into historical context, these issues have only been recently addressed on the global level. Progress has been slow and one can only conclude that these endeavors are moving in the right direction. It would appear that efforts to incorporate “affirmative action” or the preferential hiring and promotion of females in criminal justice and policing positions have led to noticeable and constructive organizational changes.  However, these efforts at creating a gender balanced work environment have received criticism from male colleagues and have resulted in predominantly unsuccessful challenges in the courts. Most police departments in the USA and the EU have shown considerable success and improvement in incorporating females into front line, investigatory, and supervisory policing positions. On the other hand, there has been only notable but slow progress in Caribbean nations; some advancement in Turkey; but little reported improvement in achieving a gender balance in policing agencies in South Korea. Similar conclusions can be made in relation to Pakistan as many studies have revealed that women police officers in a number of Pakistani cities report a certain level of job satisfaction, but many also have raised reservation in recommending a police position to female friends and family members. More disturbingly is the overwhelming perception that work place sexual harassment is not only pervasive in Pakistan, but goes unaddressed and unpunished.[1]

            Of equal merit is that it is evident that domestic violence and criminality targeting females in Pakistan has not been properly documented and addressed. Research has shown that the male dominated police profession apparently views these issues as private ones and not suitable for criminal justice intervention.  One main obstacle has been the lack of training provided to law enforcement personnel to comprehensively deal with these offenses and incidents. Due to this lack of appropriate attention by law enforcement organizations, many female victims and the neighborhood at large have engaged in vigilantism in Pakistan to seek revenge against predators that have targeted female community members.  Clearly this situation has diminished the credibility of the police there, yet criminal justice and government administrators have made little effort to improve this dereliction of duty. [2]

            There is a critical need for the international community, donor groups, and NGOs to continue to coordinate conferences and alliances to promote and to ensure progress as it relates to gender responsive policing and the advancement of women in the law enforcement and criminal justice arena.

            As a result of comprehensive research, a number of findings and recommendations can be proposed to improve the conditions for female victims of crime and enhance the roles that women play in criminal justice administration:

·         Although affirmative action and preferential hiring and promotion of women and minority groups in the criminal justice sector have received some scrutiny, these initiatives have proven to be successful in increasing the number of females in law enforcement and other public service agencies.

·         All training and in-service education for criminal justice agencies should incorporate gender related issues into their curricula.

·         Law enforcement and criminal justice organizations must ensure that agency policy and procedure appropriately address and outline the necessary steps needed for dealing with female victims of crime.

·         Federal guidelines and legislation must be created to mandate that sexual harassment and all forms of workplace discrimination, including engaging in retaliation for those who file complaints, are unacceptable and will lead to severe penalties, including the loss of position.

·         Criminal justice and police organizations must make certain that all facilities have proper accommodations for both male and female employees and visitors.

·         The international community, federal authorities, donor groups, and NGOs must continue to coordinate meetings and initiatives to address and enhance the special needs of female employees and women community members, particularly in certain geographical regions, e.g. the Middle East, south-east Asia, the Caribbean, Africa, South America, south-east Europe, and the Far East, where progress has been slow or negligible.

·         In nations where ideological issues may deter the direct interaction of male police personnel and female crime victims, as in Pakistan and some surrounding countries, federal and regional criminal justice administrators should strongly consider creating female only police stations (or teams) to ensure equality and professionalism when interacting with all community members. 

In conclusion, it can not be emphasized enough how important it is that the voices of women in urban and rural communities be heard, recognized, and properly addressed. And just as relevant, criminal justice agencies, including the front line actor, the police, must reflect the gender and diversity of the communities in which they serve. 

About the Author and the International Police Association: James F. Albrecht is a professor of criminal justice at the University of New Haven in the USA. He is a former police executive in New York City, who has also worked as a police advisor, trainer, and chief investigator for the United States Department of State, the United Nations, and the European Union.  The International Police Association External Relations Commission provides law enforcement and rule of law policy experts to distinguished organizations such as the United Nations, Europol, Interpol, Organization of American States, among others. The goal of the International Police Association External Relations Commission is to improve the professionalism and effectiveness in the field of policing globally.