Reforms needed to break barriers facing women in Fiji Police: Report

A proposal to introduce a 30 per cent gender quota for recruitment, establish an independent oversight body and improve childcare support are among the key recommendations in the Gender Barrier Assessment Project Report launched last week.

Compiled using the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peace Operations (MOWIP) methodology, the report calls on the Fiji Police Force (FPF) to introduce gender quotas for recruitment and leadership positions, incorporate gender equality measures into performance assessments and immediately fill its vacant Gender Focal Point position.

The report also recommends re-establishing the Fiji Police Force driving school, potentially in partnership with the Land Transport Authority.

Researchers found women officers were significantly less likely to hold a driver's licence, a requirement for deployment on United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.

The report further recommends investment to reopen the Fiji Police Force kindergarten, which closed in 2021 because of building safety concerns.

It also calls for redesigned police uniforms after officers raised concerns that current shirts become see-through when wet.

Other recommendations include establishing secure and anonymous reporting channels for workplace complaints and considering the Accountability and Transparency Commission Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection Sashi Kiran said her ministry would lead implementation through Phase Two of its Gender Transformative Institutional Capacity Development initiative in partnership with 14 government ministries.

"Armed with this evidence, we are now in a stronger position to move beyond assumptions and develop practical evidence-based roadmaps," she said.

Minister for Defence and Veterans Affairs Pio Tikoduadua said the findings would help guide reforms within the Fiji Police Force.

"Its findings will help shape the way we strengthen our institutions, develop our people and prepare the next generation of leaders," he said.