Women in charge

Interview / Elizabeth Rodríguez Obando

Led by a female general director and with a female director of its academy, Nicaragua’s national police force is a place where women have taken places in high command, in sharp contrast to their counterparts in Latin America.

 “The Nacional Police force has adopted gender equity not only because of its commitment to human rights, but because it sees it as a strategy for greater justice and development in society, “said Elizabeth Rodríguez Obando, Director of the Nicaraguan police force’s  Police Academy.

In an interview given to Comunidad Segura, Rodríguez, who is also part of the Latin American network of Police Officers and Civil Society, explains how the equal opportunities for men and women is key for the process of development and modernization of the institution in Nicaragua: “If we want to influence the core of the institution we also must to take into account how our society deals with the gender.”

How does Nicaraguan Police force see gender?

Internally, we are committed to increasing the capability of our human resources, and an awareness of gender guides our efforts to guarantee full access and equal opportunity for both men and women. We are also committed to changing police conduct, attitudes and practices with respect to the services provided to society.

With Aminda Graneral Sacasa as General Director of Nicaragua’s National Police force, and you yourself as Director of the Police Academy, how do you see women in command? 

The participation of women in the revolution that culminated in the liberation war of 1979 that defeated the dictatorship was very significant. After the dictatorship was broken up, women began to take higher offices in the revolutionary government and in the National Police Force we are led by the first female commander in the world.

How did the change that brought new gender awareness to the force come about?

It has been a gradual process, a slow, but sure one that has proposed changes in the institution, in its policies, plans and strategies so as to include gender equity. Our main motivation was manifest when the institution was founded in 1979 and has been present in convincing people of the of the importance of treating gender fairly and of pushing for the recognition of the benefits that will come with modernizing the police force.

What steps did you take to that effect?

From 1990 to 1993 female police officers asked our leadership to address the problems of domestic violence appropriately. As a result we created the first Women’s and Children’s Police Precinct to address this need of the population. In 1996 the police officially took up gender awareness from the point of view of development and made efforts to increase the numbers of female officers in the National Police Force.

How did that translate into numbers of female officers?

Our new procedures included the goal of increasing the number of female officers in the police academy to 30%. In 2004 we reached 33%, in 2005 31%, and 2006 26%. Currently around 25% of our aspiring officers taking the Technical Police Course are women.

In your opinión, what were the key initiatives for the success of this initiative?

It was key to have the highest level of police leadership involved, to head the change, that and, of course, the leadership and commitment of the female leaders themselves.

And the lessons learned?

It is important first and foremost to make sure there is political will at the top of the hierarchy, and the effectiveness of working in interdisciplinary teams must also be stressed, since it is vital to include education when one wants to promote a change in mindset. Any lasting change must be generated in a sustainable process. If we want to influence the core of the institution we also have to take into account how society deals with the topic.

In your opinion, does being a woman make it difficult to be a police officer?

Yes, it is a challenge because as women we take up a number of different roles in society. We are mothers, wives, daughters, police officers and things get complicated. However it is possible to be a woman and a police officer. It strengthens the institutions in charge of guaranteeing public order and safety. Women have been historically brought to the task of building better societies a commitment to ethics, professionalism, perseverance, transparency and humanism.

Read Further: (In Spanish)

Red de Policías y Sociedad Civil de Latinoamérica

Official Website of the Nicaraguan National Police Force