Thread by @BJPIndAK

"The KHAKI Files: Women in Police - India"

#India #Police #Governance

The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence, it is to act with yesterday’s logic" - Peter Drucker

Women in India entered the Police force as early as 1933, yet the progress in integrating them further has been awfully slow.

#Police #Governance

The State of Travancore experimented with appointment of women as Special #Police Constables in year 1933, where 1 women head constable & 12 women constables were appointed.

In British India, the need for women police was 1st felt in the year 1938 during the Kanpur labour strike

Due to the partition and all the after effects of like riots, atrocities on women, kidnapping, abduction & other sex offenses, it was thought to increase the number of women in #Police.

The @DelhiPolice force was the first to recruit police women on a regularly basis in 1948.

"I trained with men, and then went on to work with them. Throughout my training, I was told that we are officers first, women later. But the moment I entered the field, I was reminded of my #gender” @D_Roopa_IPS

Policing is seen as a male bastion. General sentiment is that women are not ‘man’ enough to be a part of the force.
According to SPIR, 50% people in India believe that women are not fit for #Police due to a lack of physical strength, behavior & inflexible working hours.

SPIR respondents: Women cannot deal with high intensity crimes & cases and should focus on their household.

Bihar & West Bengal were the most biased against women employed in the #Police force.

#Governance #India

While women in the #IPS may still benefit from a relatively ‘integrated model’, women in subordinate positions have to go through a gendered model of policing, writes Tumpa Mukherjee in her book ‘Women in Police in India: A Journey from Periphery to Core’.

The SPIR 2019 shows female #Police personnel are usually limited to in-house tasks such as maintaining registers/data, filing FIRs and other complaints, whereas male officers are engaged more in field-based tasks such as investigation, patrolling, L&O duties, etc.

#India

SPIR 2019: Work environment not conducive for female #Police officers

50% women officers not getting a weekly off
20% work beyond duty hours very often

It is indeed a stressful situation for women, as they undergo the dual burden of providing care work and working a job as well

Why more women are needed in the Police?

Increasing women in the #Police force has positive repercussions on gender-sensitive policing & building relationships with citizens, especially women.

#India #Governance

A study reported by the @washingtonpost found that women are better at placating violent situations as “Policemen see #Police work as involving control through authority” but “policewomen see it as a public service.”

washingtonpost.com/posteverything…

Global estimates published by the World Health Organization @WHO indicate that about 35% women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.

#GenderEquity #Police #Governance
who.int/news-room/fact…

"Women are more sensitive to the sufferings of others & have greater concern for the well-being of others.

They often approach and solve problems from a different perspective than their male counterparts"

The above statement comes from a personal experience.

#Police #India

It is widely recognized that women play crucial role in responding to & preventing gender violence/crime against women & children

IPC, POCSO require women #Police officers to deal with victims of sexual assault & even juvenile delinquents are expected 2be better handled by women

However, the challenge still remains to provide meaningful roles and equal opportunities to women #Police officers & other female staff in investigation of crime, law and order, traffic & patrolling duties.

Since women constitute nearly 50 per cent of humanity, it is natural that they should be fairly represented in an org responsible for public security.

A gender-diverse force is necessary to create a safe & secure environment for women & to achieve the larger development goals.

In 2009, Union Territories were given a mandate for 33 per cent reservation for women in the #Police force by the home ministry, which also advised India’s now-29 states to pursue legislative action on this issue.

#India #Governance

Yet, 12 years later, we’re far from even setting the required benchmark, let alone having women in these positions.

Apart from the UTs, only 9 states have adopted 33% reservation,
5 states 30%,
Bihar 38% and five states below 30%.
9 states are yet to set targets

#Police #India

This skewed ratio is “leading to impediments in effective implementation of the legislations [on crimes against women]” - @HMOIndia in 2015.

This gets reflected like in the National Family Health Survey of 2015-’16 that said 99% of sexual assault cases go unreported.

#Police

Issues at workplace?

Although women #Police personnel give their total commitment, several of their gender-specific issues remain overlooked & neglected. Feeling unsafe at the workplace is also an overarching issue among the women police officers. This may occur in 2 forms;

1.Facing sexual abuse and assault during working hours from senior officers who have the power to get away with it.

2.Performing duty in a public place where ‘anti-social elements’ threaten woman’s safety.

#India #Police #Governance

25% of #Police women reported that there was no sexual harassment committee at their workplace, despite such a committee being mandated by the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2013.

Infrastructure development for women has not kept pace with the growth in their numbers in the police. They still do not have adequate toilet facilities for want of which some have been known to avoid drinking water before duty.

Therefore it is not uncommon to find women cops on traffic duty spend their work hours without even drinking water.

20% women #Police personnel across India reported not having a separate toilet for women at their PS. In Bihar & Telangana, it was 60%.

Women also have to deal with bigotry, as most male colleagues tend to have a disparaging attitude towards them.

Their abilities are doubted & they have to often put up with rude or supercilious behavior or remarks.

All of this needs to be addressed by better training and an attitudinal change.

Training modules also follow the old male dominated versions and the need to develop gender-sensitive training cannot be overemphasized.

#Police #Governance #India

Source of Inspiration:-

#Police forces are supposed to mirror the community they serve, but in many instances, the demographics of police forces don’t adequately represent the diversity of the societies in which they work.

“Data from various countries shows, presence of women #Police correlates positively with reporting of sexual assault, confirming that recruiting women is an important component of a gender-responsive justice system”
UN report “Progress of the World’s Women: In Pursuit of Justice”

Recognizing the fact that equity, diversity & inclusion are essential to ops & effectiveness of law enforcement orgs, #Police forces around the world have instituted measures to embrace diversity,
in org structures, decision-making processes & the way they work & communicate

Examples of such measures include the #Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2016–2026 in Australia & the United States Capitol #Police’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA).

What can be done?

If there are systemic & institutional barriers that marginalize the #Police women, then we need systemic and institutional changes to counter the same.

#India #Governance

It is fundamental that we consider women’s representation and participation in cities, and urban infrastructure planning at the intersection of #Police services as we strive towards safer cities for #women.

For this to happen we need to;

1. Build trust between citizens, particularly women and the police.

2. Need to increase the participation of women in local communities in aspects of safety, security, and policing.

3. Increase the representation of women in the police force.

It is essential for citizens and the police to become acquainted with each other, share information, concerns, understand processes, barriers and furthermore, see tangible actions addressing these.

In instituting such engagements between citizens and the police, we need to ensure that the #Police force mirrors the community it serves, particularly with regards to women.

#Governance #India

Community Policing is a means by which participation & engagement of women in aspects of safety and security can be fostered, and, in turn, build trust between them & #Police.

Platforms like community policing can form a fundamental part of this much-needed institutional response as outlined in one aspect of the 3D Program’s convergent framework for addressing violence against women and girls, as well as the community policing guidelines by @UN_Women

In 2003, the @BPRDIndia recommended a model for community policing for India & such initiatives have expanded into cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Gurugram, with the more well-known Janamaithri Suraksha Padhathi initiative in Kerala.

It is interesting to note that gender diversity in the #Police force is a strong predictor for the adoption of community policing and highlights intersecting nature of the need for women in the leadership roles in the Police force, trust-building, and community engagement.

@PwC's report “Policing in a networked world,” mapped out 6 responses for police depts around the world to undertake to enable effective action. 1 of these responses was “building the workforce of the future,”

It recognizes “sworn police officers are still the backbone of a #Police organization [therefore] must reflect the demographic & ethnic makeup of the society in which they serve.”

What is being done?

To focus more attention & resources on the safety of women, the government of India also established the Women Safety Division in May 2018, within the #MHA

This div has the mandate to develop integrated & harmonized initiatives to ensure the security and safety of women.

1. There is the newly created Emergency Response Support System (ERSS), a nationwide 24/7 emergency support line for anyone in distress. The system is equipped with location-based services and integrated with computer-aided dispatch ..

.. , police vans equipped with mobile data terminals and one-stop centers for women.

“112 India mobile app” allows women & children access to a SHOUT feature, which connects them to the ERSS & alerts registered volunteers in the vicinity to provide immediate assistance.

2.India’s Safe City Projects have provided a much-needed focus in urban areas where technology plays an important role. This involves enhanced surveillance, strengthening of civic amenities through the use of infrastructure, technology and behavior change programs, .....

.... panic buttons on public transport and “she toilets” (dedicated restrooms for women) and a “women’s desk” in all #Police stations.

@nityanandraibjp : “All state governments have been requested to create additional posts of women constables/sub-inspectors by converting the vacant posts of male constables”

@nityanandraibjp “The aim is that each #Police station should have at least 3 women sub-inspectors & 10 women police constables so that a women help desk is manned round the clock"

@nityanandraibjp: "Police stations must also provide “housing and medical facilities and restroom facilities for women #Police personnel” to attract more talent”

The increasing representation & contribution of women in the police have debunked the myth of their lack of physical or organizational capabilities.

It is also a reminder of the fact that women are unduly pre-judged and stereotyped & that nothing could be further from the truth

Conclusion:-

While the western countries are busy coping with the dynamics of feminism & elitism among women, India is sadly still struggling with physical presence of women in a #Police station.

It is about time we bring a change in the society and show the much deserved respect to an Indian policewoman.

Meeting reservation quotas for women would be a first step towards creating a more equal #Police force.

An increase in the number of Women #Police personnel across India will go a long way in making Police stations more accessible for women which in turn would ensure equal & speedy access to justice [a fundamental right] to all women in our beloved country.

Jai Hind

Dedicated to all Women Police personnel.

"The unsung Stars of Khaki"