Women in the police

Turbat’s first ever women’s police station, the second ever in Balochistan, recently became operational. This development follows the opening of Balochistan’s first ever women’s police station in the provincial capital Quetta. Another women’s police station in Gwadar is also in the works, with the government having planned to recruit a total of 280 new female police officers for the new stations in Turbat and Gwadar. While Pakistan is no stranger to prejudice and discrimination keeping women out of the workplace, particularly when it comes to more public-facing roles, the situation is particularly acute in some areas more than others. In Pakistan as a whole, women accounted for a paltry 1.5 per cent of the police force as recently as 2021, according to the UNODC.

The result of this chronic gender disparity is a system that fails to protect women and take their concerns seriously, with often devastating results. Take the issue of sexual assault and gender-based violence, for example. The lack of women police, judges and lawyers makes survivors of sexual assault and gendered violence more reluctant to come forward and take a stand against their accusers. Consequently, violence against women, particularly sexual violence, remains rampant as the authorities struggle to bring the perpetrators to book despite the passage of tougher punishments and more legal protections for survivors.

It is in this context that the opening of new women’s police stations in Balochistan is so important. Without actually having more women in key roles, it becomes hard to deliver on any of the promises the state makes to women through the courts and the assemblies. And this is not just the case when it comes to policing, but also applies to a whole range of fields including education and healthcare. Unfortunately, this makes achieving gender equality much more difficult. Issuing bills and edicts is one thing, but actually boosting women’s participation requires a more direct confrontation of the prejudicial attitudes holding women back. Overcoming a calcified mindset built up over generations takes time. While the women’s police station in Turbat is clearly a step in the right direction, it is only the second in the province and it has come 28 long years after the establishment of Pakistan’s first ever women’s police station in 1994. By the time we do attain equality it will be too late for too many women. One can only hope that efforts to boost female participation in policing and other fields will be expedited and we can limit the number of women whose plight will be ignored as a result.