Rwanda trains police leaders from 10 countries on gender-responsive policing

Police officers and law enforcement officials from 10 East African countries are meeting in Kigali for a five-day training programme aimed at strengthening gender-responsive policing and improving the way security institutions respond to gender-based violence.

The training was officially opened on October 20 by Rwanda’s Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Administration and Personnel, DIGP Jeanne Chantal Ujeneza, who urged participants to apply their knowledge to improve public trust and satisfaction with security services.

The programme, organised under the Eastern Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organisation (EAPCCO), brings together representatives from Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda and host Rwanda.

The Training of Trainers (ToT) programme focuses on equipping participants with the skills to train fellow officers on gender equality, gender-responsive service delivery and the protection of human rights and dignity.

Ujeneza called on participants to share their knowledge with colleagues and advocate for the integration of gender-responsive policing materials into training programmes in their respective countries.

She said the programme’s success would be measured by public satisfaction with security services and officers’ ability to identify, prevent and investigate gender-based violence, as well as provide appropriate support to victims.

The training also provides an opportunity to assess a manual on gender-responsive law enforcement and a separate guide designed to help officers train their colleagues before the materials are rolled out more widely across member countries.

Apollo S. Africa, EAPCCO’s Executive Secretary and head of Interpol’s Regional Bureau for Eastern Africa, said the training was necessary because the manual alone could not ensure that officers understood and applied its guidance effectively.

“We realised that the manual alone was not enough, because it needed to be explained by police officers who had not been involved in writing it,” he said.

He explained that a separate training guide had therefore been developed to support instructors, urging participants to provide feedback on how the materials could be adapted to the circumstances and needs of individual countries.

The materials were developed under the Supporting Every Step of the Way initiative, implemented in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UN Women, with support from the German government.