Balkh police: Women underrepresented

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (PAN’s representation in the police force is significantly low due to certain social problems, security officials in northern Balkh province acknowledged on Sunday.

There were fewer women in the police force than needed, Col. Abdul Razzaq Qadiri, the deputy police chief for Balkh, told Pajhwok Afghan News during a seminar here.

Currently, he said, only 77 policewomen were performing their duty across the province, which needed more female officers. The policewomen’s qualifications also left a lot to be desired, he pointed out.

Widows and economically vulnerable women were willing to join police, said Col. Qadiri, who linked women’s under-representation to social taboos. He argued more policewomen were needed during house searches and frisking females.

Shakeela, 2^nd lieutenant in border police, tied the issue to social restrictions as well as problems in the recruitment process. Every woman joining the police force encountered such problems, she said.

Without going into details, Shakeela said repeated calls, scrutiny of documents and referrals to police headquarters discouraged female job seekers.  

Young women avoided joining police ranks owing to social factors, something that kept the level of females’ representation far from satisfactory, the 2^nd lieutenant explained.

But Col. Qadiri defended the recruitment procedure involving the scrutiny of women’s educational testimonials. He said the formality had to be met.

Article 22 of the Constitution, discouraging the glass ceiling in appointments, motivated women to join security forces, he said, urging females to work alongside men in serving their motherland.

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