First Lady Fazna Ahmed has this afternoon delivered remarks at Iskandar Koshi inaugurating two initiatives launched by the Maldives Police Service (MPS): "Project Guardian", relevant to the police’s responsibility in ending all forms of violence against women and children; and "Maldives Women in Policing", regarding enhancing the role of women in policing. The Minister of Home Affairs, Sheikh Imran Hassan, and the Commissioner of Police Mohamed Hameed, were in attendance at the event.
Thanking the Police Commissioner and the senior management team at the police for inviting her to deliver remarks, the First Lady noted the crucial role played by MPS in preventing abuse within families, especially to women and children. She welcomed the recent increase in community awareness regarding the issue, frequency in reporting, and pressure by government institutions and civil society to resolve this issue. She contrasted to the past, when violence and sexual abuse was kept a secret within families, and responding to such was not accorded due priority.
The police, being at the forefront of law-enforcement, are responsible for seizing on these developments, to effectively address the issue, the First Lady remarked. Acknowledging the reporting barriers created by the Maldives’ dispersed geography, consisting of small island communities, she advocated that these could be overcome by solutions such as neighbourhood policing and involving volunteers from each community, such as teachers and health workers, to whom victims may more easily turn to, to report abuse and seek assistance. Welcoming the MPS’ recent creation of a unit dedicated exclusively to investigating abuse against children, she expressed her confidence that the police force increasingly understands why technical expertise and adherence to best practices are required when gathering evidence and building cases against abusers.
The First Lady then moved on to discuss the second initiative by MPS, involving increasing the role of women in policing. She highlighted that women currently make up only 10% of the police force and that that this regressive gender ratio impedes the police from effectively fulfilling their mandate - and from transitioning to a community policing regime.
Equal gender representation and giving more leadership roles to women, while paramount, are only initial steps, the First lady expressed. As part of gender mainstreaming it is important that women’s needs, perspectives and experiences are taken into account in decision-making. She also emphasized that policing is a 24-hour service and that the MPS work-environment should accommodate the needs of all its staff, male and female, by implementing such conveniences as daycare facilities and flexible working hours, and by giving equal protection to women in the workplace.
Further, she emphasized that to truly make use of women police officer’s individual talents, they should not be relegated to stereotyped responsibilities such as responding to gender issues; rather they should be given a diverse set of mandates, including forensics, investigating terrorism, and responding to serious and organized crime. She expressed her full confidence that women police officers would shine in these roles, and that the increased visibility of women in policing would set a positive example, spurring interest in young women and girls to pursue a career in law-enforcement, while also demonstrating to girls that already have such interests, that their aspirations are within reach. The two initiatives launched by the MPS today will help realize these visions, she remarked.
While speaking primarily in Dhivehi, the First Lady reiterated the above sentiments in English for the benefit of the members of the international community present at the event. She expressed her full confidence that the two initiatives launched by MPS today will progress the country in the direction of gender equality and justice for women and children. She also prayed to Almighty Allah to bless the MPS’ ongoing work in this regard.
