Vienna, Austria - 7 March 2021 – In March 2021, the GLO.ACT Women’s Network ran the first webinar of a four-part series on leadership and management skills. The second webinar, held from 6 to 7 April 2021, focused on different types of leadership and effective communication.
The aim of the workshop series is to provide network members with the tools to make progress towards achieving their career goals while being equipped with strategies to maximize their impact in their current roles and overcome existing barriers to their progression.
We know that the recruitment of women for positions in law enforcement can be challenging, and qualified female officers' retention can also be problematic. Anecdotal evidence suggests that leadership and challenges regarding work-life balance are central factors that contribute to women leaving their frontline law enforcement roles.
Yet, we also know that law enforcement agencies that are demographically representative of the populations they serve are likely to achieve better outcomes when tackling crimes such as Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and Smuggling of Migrants (SOM).
On the first day, the training consultant and member of the Women’s Network Advisory Board, Jane Townsley, guided participants through group discussions on what makes a good leader. The group explored the interaction between leaders and followers and the different traits exhibited by both. The session concluded with some reflections on techniques that could be applied in a professional context and looked at the importance of the receipt and delivery of honest feedback.
Day two focused on the role of effective communication and why this is vital in terms of leadership. To underpin the training with some personal experiences and insights, Justice Ayesha Malik of the Lahore High Court in Pakistan addressed the group. Justice Malik shared with the participants how she navigated her career path in a male-dominated environment, explaining that she always tries to shine a light on gender-sensitive issues by facilitating substantive training sessions. She also spoke about work-life balance, the multiple roles women play in society, and how we have to teach the institutions we work in to make space for this.
Following Justice Malik’s intervention, breakout groups allowed for smaller group discussions that included a debriefing excise. The workshop concluded with a group-wide conversation about some of the leadership challenges participants have encountered throughout their careers.
Through the GLO.ACT Women’s Network, UNODC will provide training and support to participants to monitor and achieve their personal development goals. At the end of the series, UNODC will offer career coaching and mentorship opportunities to all those who express an interest.
Over 35 Women’s Network members participated in the workshop. The next webinar under the leadership and management series is scheduled to take place in May 2021.
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 four countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Iraq and Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
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:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html
Email: unodc-glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act
For more information about the GLO.ACT Women’s Network:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act5/index.html
For more information about Trafficking in Persons or Smuggling of Migrants:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html?ref=menuside
