Annual Report - Police Reform Programme

Police Reform Programme
(Phase-II)
Output 5.2: Increased gender awareness
A national consultant appointed by the PRP completed the first draft of the Gender and
Anti-Discrimination Policy for the Bangladesh Police. The consultant conducted several focus group
discussions and interviewed key informants in Dhaka, Barisal and Chittagong in order to receive
feedback on the Policy. Prior to the development of the Policy, the PRP organized various
consultations and two workshops to gain suggestions and opinions from police officers. The PRP is
now waiting to share the feedback with the NPD for further review. After the PRP's finalisation, the
feedback will be submitted to the IGP for final review during Quarter 1 of 2013.
The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWCA) organized a consultation with the Citizens'
Initiative against Domestic Violence (CIDV) on 26 June to prepare the draft Implementation Rules for
the Domestic Violence Prevention Act 2012. The PRP participated in that consultation and
contributed to ensure police interventions were appropriately included in the draft Implementation
Rules for the Domestic Violence Prevention Act 2012, drafted by the MOWCA and CIDV of which
PRP is a member. The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs forwarded the draft to the Ministry of
Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs for vetting and final approval.
A ToT course was held on Gender Based Violence and Gender Sensitive Policing from 14 to 18
October 2012. The main objective of the course was to train police instructors from different police
training schools, who will contribute to the gender trainings organized by the Bangladesh Police.
Additional Commissioner, Ms. Mily Biswas, Additional Commissioner DMP, opened the training
course with a total of twenty-six participants attending the course.
During the reporting period, eighteen orientations on gender
sensitive policing were held which are now regular programmes
for the PRP. A total of 1,007 police officers, among which 102
were women, attended the orientations facilitated by the
PRP-trained gender trainers. Upon completion of the
orientations, the PRP expects that participants will have a
common understanding on gender sensitivity and on
participants' role in dealing with women and children.
A refresher course on Gender and Violence against Women was organized for gender trainers at the
Police Staff College. A total of twenty-six participants, of whom seventeen were men and nine were
women, from Model Thanas participated in the refresher course. The participants previously attended
a ToT course in 2011, allowing them to facilitate gender orientations in the field.
Twelve hundred copies of a booklet entitled 'What is Gender?' were disseminated to all police
stations in Bangladesh through the Nari Nirjatan Cell. An additional 500 booklets were presented to
the Special Branch's training school and a further 900 copies of the Gender Guidelines were
distributed to participants during gender orientation workshops to increase awareness on gender
sensitive policing. Furthermore, 1,000 copies of brochures on Victim Support were distributed among
police officers, NGO representatives, parliament members, survivors, and survivors' family members
during December 2012.
Annual Report 2012
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