By Nkechika Ibe
Ensuring women’s full and equitable involvement in the security sector has been recognized as essential for fostering a security sector that is more responsive, efficient, and accountable. With the launch of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and subsequent resolutions, which form the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, there have been conscious efforts by the government, NGOs, and civil society organizations to implement as well as advocate for the implementation of the provisions of the resolutions.
Through the WPS agenda, the peace and security sector, both globally and nationally, has recorded tremendous shifts in its modus operandi and has, over the years, worked towards embracing a gender-sensitive approach. In Nigeria, the different security agencies have also responded to the call for a more gender-sensitive sector by creating a gender unit in the Nigerian Police Force and the Women’s Corps in the Nigerian Army. Meanwhile, the mere establishment of these units and corps does not always translate to greater representation and participation in the overall operations of the security agencies and institutions. In fact, the establishment of these units has further deepened the gender gap and exposed the gender stereotypes and discrimination inherent in the Nigerian security sector.
In the Nigerian Police Force, for instance, the gender unit is often flooded with female police officers, while male officers predominantly dominate departments such as criminal investigations. Another critical aspect of the stereotypical nature of these establishments is the belief that matters concerning children, juvenile delinquents, women, and families, administrative and non-combatant roles are best fit for women to handle. The presence of such a mindset undermines the ability of most female security officers to advance and grow in their careers within the security sector.
To address these challenges and ensure that more women in security fully reach their potential, the following recommendations must be operationalized:
Building Women’s Capacity
The call for national security is gendered and, as such, requires adequate training and capacity building of both male and female security officials. In 2021, the Nigerian Defence College (NDC) conducted gender training targeted at gender mainstreaming, inclusion, sensitivity, and responsiveness across Nigeria’s defense and security sector. While these trainings are highly important in advancing the WPS agenda, male officers often dominate them, primarily because of the numerical strength of male army officers as opposed to their female counterparts. This testifies to the underlying challenge ascribed to the underrepresentation of women within the security sector. Irrespective of the need to ensure the participation of both genders in professional training targeted at developing the capacity to implement and advance WPS (as well as every other assignment), ensuring a balanced representation of women must not be abandoned. One way to increase the opportunity to have more women advancing their careers in the security sector, regardless of their number, is by providing bespoke training focused on developing their confidence, leadership skills, and combatant skills. Such targeted bespoke training, amongst other professional capacity-building opportunities, is important and essential in developing their capacity and providing them with adequate techniques and tools to stand out and advance in their careers.
Removing Barriers to Recruitment and Promotion
Nigeria’s National Gender Policy, developed in 2006 and reviewed in 2013, has a 35% affirmative action provision, which places considerable emphasis on the need for increased involvement of women in all governance processes across sectors. The policy commits to ensuring that women comprise a minimum of 35% of leadership positions, thereby empowering more women’s involvement in governance and decision making.
Furthermore, the Gender Policy for Armed Forces, launched in 2021 by the then Chief of Defence Staff, targeted “prioritizing, implementing, and monitoring gender mainstreaming actions across the three services of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to address the gender disparity within the personnel as well as in its operations.” However, notable gaps persist regarding numerical representation within the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other Security Sector Institutions (SSIs). These notable gaps exist because of the challenges faced by women in the security sector that act as barriers to women’s recruitment and career advancement. These barriers include:
- Gender Bias and Discrimination: This directly impacts the recruitment process and the achievement of at least 35% representation of women in the security sector in Nigeria. The presence of cultural norms and biases in Nigerian society regarding gender roles creates limitations for women to progress in their careers in the security sector.
- Dominant Masculine Workplace Culture: Often viewed as a “men’s club,” the practices and structures found in the security sector remain anti-feminine and work against the ability of women in the sector to thrive.
- Career Advancement Barriers: As noted above, men in the Nigerian security sector tend to advance faster in their careers than women. For instance, in past years women never stood a chance to be recruited into combat roles in the armed forces. This is because the role is perceived as requiring high military responsibility, and women are seen as not naturally designed for this. Their roles are often within administrative units and non-combatant ranks. However, in recent years, despite efforts being made to employ women as infantry and special force fighter pilots and accepting women as cadets at the Nigeria Defence Academy, very few women will be able to attain the peak of their military career. In other words, one of the many barriers is that men are seen as better fit for security and military endeavors. This “unfit” rhetoric is associated with the emotional and physical characteristics of women, especially with activities largely designed to suit men’s capabilities. Also, there is a belief that more inclusion of women in the security sector, especially the armed forces, will undermine unit cohesion, which will disrupt the morale of combat units since women might be confronted with various issues such as pregnancies and higher vulnerability to abuse, rape, and even torture if captured by an enemy.
Therefore, to achieve increased recruitment and promotion of women in the Nigerian security sector:
- Women willing and committed to serve in combat roles should be given the opportunity to undergo the various physical and mental rigors associated with achieving such roles.
- Security institutions must provide an enabling environment for women to thrive.
- The security sector leadership must eschew the parochial beliefs that undermine women’s capacity to handle strategic roles when recruited.
By promoting a level playing field for women and men in the security sector, women will advance in all roles and achieve greater recognition.
Recognizing Women’s Agency in the Security Sector
Given existing barriers, women’s agency in the security sector is grossly undermined. An important aspect of recognizing women’s agency is the conscious effort to appoint women to leadership positions and to have more women in combat and technical units rather than in the traditional career positions given to women that handle gender, family, and juvenile issues. The clear understanding is that women’s roles are not limited because they have the capacity to achieve incredible strides in their careers.
Embracing a Gender-Sensitive Security Sector Reform
Although there have been efforts to reform the security sector, integrating gender into these reforms remains a key challenge. The WPS agenda in Nigeria is designed to achieve the broad goal of a gender-inclusive security sector and sustainable peace. Hence, a security sector capable of achieving sustained national peace and providing adequate security in Nigeria is one that is adequately reformed and reflects inclusion, diversity, and fairness in its approach. This must also be reflected in appointments, promotions, recruitment, and personnel development.
In conclusion, the importance of the role of women in the security sector cannot be overemphasized. Therefore, ensuring that they have the capacity and know-how, that they are recognized for their skills and contributions, and that they are also integrated will lead to a more viable, balanced, and stronger security sector in Nigeria.
About the Author:
Nkechika Perpetua Ibe is the Founder and Director of Impact Her World Foundation, and the President of a new initiative under her organization, Women in Security, Peace and Diplomacy Network (WISPAD). She is a Tsuha Global Fellow at Curtin University Perth, Australia and also an Adjunct Research Fellow at same university. Through the WISPAD Network, Nkechika hosts the Police-Women security dialogues, peace and conflict resolution workshops for local women, periodic webinars and also anchors the Women in Uniform podcast. She holds a diploma in International Security from the European Academy of Diplomacy Warsaw, Poland. She also holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Nigeria Nsukka and a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Madonna University, Anambra Nigeria.
Published 22 August, 2024.