FIGAP II grant agreement signed today

A FIGAP II Program Grant Agreement has been signed today in Sarajevo, under which the "Policewomen's Network" Association, during the first half of 2020, will implement the project entitled "Raising Awareness of Gender Equality in Police Structures in BiH through the Education of Senior Management ".

The aim of the project is to raise awareness of gender equality in police structures in BiH by providing education for middle and senior management, as well as top management, ie decision makers in the police. It is planned that within the project three educational workshops will be organized in which about 100 police officers will participate.

Through the research, direct contacts made with police agencies and a series of meetings, it became clear that senior officials, who are mostly men, did not receive adequate training on gender equality and discrimination in the workplace. Gender issues have been treated as women's issues over the years, and this type of education is most commonly referred to women, very often the same person.

The aim is to influence 100 persons, decision makers at different levels of decision making in the police, so that through their further work they will be dedicated to integrating gender issues in all spheres of police work (admission to police, promotion to higher rank, participation in working groups and commissions, education, budget planning, etc.), and to improve the position of women in the police force, with a focus on reducing gender discrimination and sexual harassment.

Since education is the best way to overcome gender stereotypes and prejudices, we appreciate that it is extremely important for senior executives in police structures to be trained on this topic, so that within their mandate they begin to take concrete steps towards integrating a gender perspective into all areas of police work, and the implementation of certain affirmative measures that will contribute to gender equality and ultimately to greater efficiency of police bodies, that is, to increase the level of human security. This is exactly the direction this project is headed.

The Program for the Implementation of the Gender Action Plan of BiH (FIGAP II Program 2017-2020), is the result of the cooperation of the Gender Agency of BiH - the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of BiH, the Gender Center of the Federation of BiH and the Gender Center of Republika Srpska, and its objective is to ensure sustainable implementation of the Gender Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program is supported by the Kingdom of Sweden, represented by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the SIDA Development Agency.