Ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the "Policewomen's Network" Association

On 3 March, 2022, a ceremony was held in Sarajevo to mark the 10th anniversary of the "Policewomen's Network" Association. The ceremony was attended by members of the Association and leaders from 15 police bodies.

The "Policewomen's Network" Association o was officially registered in 2012, although the initiative was launched in 2008, as one of the projects of the Association of Police Chiefs of Southeast Europe with the support of UNDP and SEESAC.

In her introductory address, the President of the Association, Kristina Jozić, pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina is the first country in the region to successfully implement this initiative and establish a functional Association, which has fully come to life. She emphasized that it was a great challenge, especially having in mind the complex police structure in our country.

Today, the  "Policewomen's Network" Association gathers about 450 members from 16 police bodies in Bosnia and Herzegovina and has grown into a serious organization that through its activities helps police bodies in implementing the Law on Gender Equality in BiH and the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.

In recent years, the Association has implemented a large number of projects that were primarily focused on women's empowerment and gender equality in the police, but also other areas, such as domestic violence, protection of LGBTI rights, combating gender-based violence within the police and others. The activities were largely supported by the OSCE Mission to BiH, the US Embassy, the UNDP, the European Union, the Agency for Gender Equality through FIGAP programs and others.

At the annual level, the Association realizes workshops, trainings and other events in which about 300 employees take part on average, which is why it can be proud of that thousands of policewomen and policemen have attended events organized by the Association in recent years. Also, trainings for trainers were realized and various manuals and guidelines for police forces were compiled, all with the aim of strengthening the institutional capacities of police bodies.

The President of the Association emphasized that thanks to the taken efforts the Association is recognized beyond the borders of our country and is a member of the European Network of Policewomen (ENP) and often appears as an example of good practice of networking women in the police,

Ultimately, all activities of the Association are aimed at improving the work of the police in order to be an effective service to all citizens, men and women, boys and girls. It was emphasized that the Association will continue to work intensively in carrying out its mission and strive to continue to be a partner to police authorities in capacity building and strengthening overall efficiency. It was also pointed out that the Association would not be able to operate successfully without the continuous support of the leadership of the police authorities, for which special gratitude was expressed, and the leaders were handed letters of thanks for their support.

The organization of the ceremony  was supported by the following companies: Plan Plus-Zenica, MRM- Ljubuški, KM Trade- Visoko, Ševo- Ljubuški, Unitrade- Ljubuški, Tekstilna industrija- Mostar,  Shot- Zenica, Ataco- Široki Brijeg, Network- Bijeljina i Lider -Ljubuški, to which we express special gratitude.