Supporting women’s mainstreaming in law enforcement

In cooperation with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Mina Tripoli Municipality organized an exhibition about the work of female municipal police entitled ‘this is the municipal police of Mina’. The exhibition (December 5 to 11) included a photo display of women in municipal police as well as audio-visual documentary screenings. A picture that best portrays the important role of the female municipal police was selected within a photography competition. On the sideline of the event, L’Orient Le Jour devoted an article featuring women in municipal police starting from Zahleh and the Beirut suburb of Bourj Hammoud. The newspaper spoke to women who passionately related their experience as members of the municipal police. Stravola Karam, 24 years, a woman in Mina municipal police with  a vocational degree in business and accounting, expressed her enthusiasm during her work on the roads, where she has to enforce respect and stay unabashed when catcalled by men, especially those who refuse to bow down to orders from a woman, as she said. Maysar Sindager, aged 23, a law student, said work with the municipal police has boosted her self-confidence. L’Orient Le Jour mentioned that the Mina municipality has last May recruited some 21 police troops including 6 women. The initiative, the newspaper wrote, was launched by the mayor himself who was keen to develop his municipality and to see women on the roads and not only confined in offices. Women, the mayor said, are more serious and firmer in enforcing laws. The UNDP project director disclosed that the municipalities of Zahle, Bourj Hammoud and Mina that recruit women in their police are supported by the UN agency as part of ‘the inclusion of women in municipal police’ project. A 2-month training program was kicked off in coordination with St. Joseph University (USJ). (L’Orient Le Jour, December 12, 2017)

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Honoring of women municipal police in Burj Hamoud