By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Some 34 national gendarmerie officers have been given tools on how to mainstream gender during security interventions in the country especially in crisis areas. They received the additional knowledge at a one week training of trainers on gender mainstreaming in security interventions last November 26 to 30, 2018.
Co-organized by UN Women in Cameroon and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family in collaboration with the Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defense in charge of the National Gendarmerie, the workshop that took place at the Camp Yeyap Gendarmerie Training School in Yaounde was motivated by new security challenges necessitating that Forces of Law and Order broaden their traditional role and integrate specific gender challenges in order to effectively respond to gender based violence.
Speaking at the occasion, both authorities of UN Women in Cameroon and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and the Family explained that the workshop falls in line with the first national action plan for women, peace and security (NAP 1325) adopted by Cameroon in November 2017 and which seeks to promote the leadership and participation of women in conflict and post conflict response, peace building and social cohesion and the protection of women against sexual and gender based violence in the situation of armed conflicts.
At the end of the workshop, participants told The SUN that they are henceforth better equipped with strategies to prevent sexual and gender based violence during policies operations.
They were called upon to duplicate this knowledge using similar content and methodology in their respective duty stations nationwide.
It is worth noting that UN Women is a UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The workshop took place at the time women are facing a lot of challenges in security troubled zones of the Far North, North West and South West regions.