Rwanda National Police

Gender equality is an ideological principal in Rwanda enshrined in the constitution, which highlights principal guidelines on which sectoral policies and programmes base to integrate gender issues in their respective social, cultural, economic and political planning and programming.

It is a policy that has equally come to define the policing environment and the security setting in general in Rwanda.

President Paul Kagame, in his address to the 63rd UN General Assembly, said: “With regards to empowering women and promoting their socio economic and political participation, we continue to make modest progress. We believe that, besides improving gender relations in our country, this marks healthy progress towards realizing our vision of a united, democratic and prosperous Rwanda.”

For just 19 years of Rwanda National Police (RNP) existence, the force continues to walk this talk. RNP came into existence on June 16, 2000 with the merger of the three former entities that had the policing mandate at the time; National Gendarmerie, Judicial Police and Communal Police.

The new institution started with not more than 3,500 Police personnel. It started its policing mandate on a low note in terms of gender equality. Women constituted only 0.5 per cent of the new force.

The role of women in law enforcement mirrors the social attitudes and prevailing customs towards women in the society at large.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dan Munyuza, during the 10th Police Women Convention, said: “Gender promotion in Police is both a policy and a right.” This ideology has seen the population of women in RNP growing to about 22 percent of the current total force.

The periodic Police Women Convention is organized in recognition and support of gender equality and to recognize the role of women in policing. It brings together hundreds of women Police officers of all ranks and the RNP leadership to discuss matters related to gender equality in the force and to address challenges affecting women in their policing duties.

“As the number of women joining the Police continues to grow, this goes with promotion in ranks and appointments in decision making bodies as well as deployments in international peacekeeping duties where they also hold varied high posts,” said IGP Munyuza.

Indeed, with 264 Police peacekeepers in various missions across the global, Rwanda ranks one of the leading female contributors to the UN. Rwanda deployed an all-female contingent in 2010, after only India had done so by deploying an  all-female FPU contingent in Liberia in 2007. In June last year, Rwanda deployed a female-dominated Formed Police Unit (FPU) contingent to the UN mission in South Sudan, headed by a female officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, which was replaced with the same formation under the command of SSP Jackline Urujeni.

On this year’s International Women’s Day, the UN said: “Women police officers like Teddy Ruyenzi from Rwanda…play a critical role in UN peacekeeping, particularly in societies where only women are allowed to interact with women of the community.”
 
Rwanda currently ranks as the first country globally with the highest number of female peacekeepers in UN missions.

In an interview on her peacekeeping experience, ACP Ruyenzi said: “… this shows that our country believes in us that we can equally do better, we shouldn’t feel inferior because we are women. We are female police officers with Rwandan values, well trained, committed and able to serve as the mission mandate requires…”

Rwanda’s deliberate move to increase the number of women in peacekeeping is in line with the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 adopted in 2000.

The resolution urges all actors to increase the participation of women in conflict resolution, peacekeeping and incorporate gender perspectives in all UN peace and security efforts. It also calls on all parties to conflict to take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse, in situations of armed conflict. Thus, Rwandan female peacekeepers have been involved in addressing such pressing issues and human rights violations of sexual and gender based violence.

According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Diane Gashumba, women in policing “represent the pride and dignity of a Rwandan woman.” The Minister who was the Guest-of-Honour at this year’s Police Women Convention, said: “Having you in ensuring the security of our country and in international peacekeeping duties brings the difference, and we feel proud for your commitment and patriotic duties”

She recognized the role of women Police officers in promoting healthy communities. “It’s not just donning that uniform but what it brings to the well-being of the people... we have pressing issues related to poor feeding, family planning and teenage pregnancies; we need to see you working with health workers in communities addressing these factors that affect community development and unhealthy living… lead by example.”

Today, RNP boosts of gender focal points in all District Police Units and as a policy, women police officers are deployed in areas where they have their families.

Women are indispensable today in policing. With their perseverance and unique abilities, they are becoming a fundamental part of contemporary policing. Women are found to respond more effectively to incidents of violence against women and child abuse. The integration of women into law enforcement positions can be considered a large social change.