Islamabad, Pakistan - 04 May 2021 - We know that when women participate in law enforcement, at all levels and in all roles, law enforcement is more responsive to, and reflective of, the community it serves. Yet, underrepresentation of women in criminal justice institutions remains a reality and even where there is a balance between women and men in quantitative terms, gender-based barriers to promotion and career advancement often persist.
To achieve better outcomes in cases of human trafficking or smuggling, UNODC in the framework of the EU funded GLO.ACT project, makes a concerted effort to address the gender dimension by providing specialist training and coaching to female law enforcement officers in Pakistan.
Romana - one of the officers trained and coached by UNODC - shares her story:
“My mother came from a conservative family, but she’s a progressive woman. She supported the education of all her children, including the girls. She wanted her daughters to become something in life. My father also worked hard for our education. Most of the families in my region of Pakistan are very strict. As a girl, you are not really allowed to study and work. Only going into teaching is considered acceptable for girls.
But I am an inspector at the immigration department of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency. I never thought of working in law enforcement, but my parents supported and encouraged me. At first, many people - including my own relatives and friends - criticised me a lot for taking up this job. But my parents stood by me and when I wore the uniform for the first time, I felt so happy. I felt like a force had come into me. I felt like I could take on the world, fight for myself, for people like me. It made me feel stronger than before.
I am also married, and I have a five-year-old daughter. When she was only two months old, I was on night duty followed by 12-hour day shifts, so my husband took care of her throughout the day and night. It’s not easy for a man in our culture to do that, but he’s been extremely supportive of my work.
I’ve been working with the FIA for 12 years, and I’m constantly learning. The first specialized UNODC training I joined was about six months ago. I've learnt a lot about investigating human trafficking and smuggling cases.
I use that knowledge in my daily work. When I file First Investigation Reports or decide if a case is registered as Trafficking in Persons or Smuggling of Migrants . The trainings gave me a lot of confidence. It really benefits me when I have to help and assist victims.
What I really appreciate are the coaching sessions run by UNODC. Even after one session I can see how it'll enhance my skills. The coach taught me a lot. About formal and informal cooperation between police at local and international level and mutual legal assistance.
He's also imparted on me how professional women like me, working in law enforcement, should feel empowered by the trainings and coaching. That we should approach our work without self-doubt or fear.
Now, when I face challenges during my workday, I believe that I am empowered to handle them. I know that I have the skills to tackle them effectively.
Working as a female officer can be hard. But I would also like to encourage other women to join law enforcement agencies. To serve your people, to serve your country. To join because of cases that affect women. These women really deserve to have well-trained and confident female officials involved their cases.”
The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants – Asia and the Middle East (GLO.ACT-Asia and the Middle East) is a four-year (2018-2022), €12 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in up to five countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Islamic Republic of Iran (I.R. of Iran), Republic of Iraq (Iraq), Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan). GLO.ACT-Bangladesh is a parallel initiative also financed by the EU and implemented with IOM.
The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 and assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations in targeted, innovative, and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, legislative review and harmonization, capability development, and regional and trans-regional cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms. The project is fully committed to mainstreaming Human Rights and Gender Equality considerations across all of its activities.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Shahida Gillani, National Project Officer
Email: Shahida.gillani@un.org
For more information, please visit:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
Nation-wide awareness-raising campaign in Pakistan, please like and share:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UNODCCOPAK.GloAct/
Twitter: @GLOACTPakistan