UNODC conducted a two-day online training course on gender and upholding human rights in law enforcement

On 4-5 February, UNODC conducted a two-day online regional training course on gender mainstreaming and upholding human rights in law enforcement agencies.

Over 60 law enforcement officers from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the training course to enhance their knowledge on the legal framework for gender equality and international framework for ensuring human rights; on gender sensitivity and eliminating the risks of discrimination against women in the activities of law enforcement and security agencies; as well as the standard operating procedures for interviewing and screening women, among other issues.

“We need to promote women’s leadership, enhance women’s access to justice, give a lot more emphasis on the inclusion of women in law enforcement and criminal justice responses to build more peaceful and inclusive societies. I hope to see more women participating as law enforcement officers in our future training programmes. This training is critical in reminding ourselves the key areas to focus on in our joint work: to ensure gender equality and human rights, and to leave no one behind,” said Ms. Ashita Mittal, UNODC Regional Representative for Central Asia in her welcome speech.

The training course was delivered by two gender experts: Ms. Larisa Ilibezova, Chairperson of the Center of Research of Democratic Processes (CRDP) and retired Police Colonel Gulsara Alieva, professor of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University.

Gender experts delivered presentations on gender competence which is one of the key components in the professional activities of state officials, including those in law enforcement bodies and security agencies. As Ms. Gulsara Alieva highlighted: “a ‘gender lens’ should be applied into the work of law enforcement agencies and they should ensure gender parity among officers, in particular in decision-making to fairly and equally address the needs and priorities of both men and women.”

Furthermore, law enforcement officers should be gender-sensitive in all their activities, especially while dealing with and interviewing survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual abuse. Social and legal services provided to female survivors of GBV should also be gender-sensitive and free of gender-based stereotypes while addressing their special needs. In her presentation, Ms. Larisa Ilibezova underlined that GBV survivors should not be treated with bias and law enforcement officers should avoid any form of victim-blaming towards them.

In her concluding remarks Ms. Nargiza Abdukadirova, UNODC ROCA National Programme Officer said: “Sex-based discrimination is the violation of human rights. Gender-based violence and violence against women are the worst types of human rights violations. Especially if the perpetrator is her intimate partner or other family members. The home must be a place where one feels safe and secure. But unfortunately, practice shows that for many women their home is no longer a safe haven, especially during emergencies as a global pandemic. So, it is our joint commitment to combat these types of offenses and fight against injustice.”

The feedback received from the participants at the end of the training was very positive. They acknowledged that all topics covered and discussed during the training were crucial and relevant, especially considering the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rise of GBV and that human rights and gender perspectives should be mainstreamed into all stages of their professional work.

The training course was organized within initiatives - “Countering trafficking of Afghan narcotics in Uzbekistan through the establishment of Interagency Mobile Teams (IMT)” and “Countering the trafficking of Afghan opiates via the Northern Route by enhancing the capacity of key border crossing points and through the establishment of Border Liaison Offices (BLOs)” of the Sub-programme 1 “Countering transnational organized crime, illicit drug trafficking and preventing terrorism” of the UNODC Programme for Central Asia. Both projects are funded by the Government of Japan.

 

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For any queries please contact

Nurangez Abdulhamidova,

Communication and External Relations Officer

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (Dushanbe)

Email: nurangez.abdulhamidova[at]un.org