KABUL (Pajhwok): Policewomen are fully prepared to perform their duties as well their male counterparts during the April elections, officials said on Tuesday.
Around 25,000 policewomen have been trained to deal with security threats during the polls. Another 1,392 will be trained in coming months to ensure peaceful elections.
Senior Ministry of Interior official Brig. Gen. Hikmat Shahi told Pajhwok Afghan News the presence of policewomen at polling station was essential to prevent fraud.
Shahi said policewomen helped their male colleagues to a greater extent during operations as searches of certain places and women by males were against the Afghan culture.
The ministry has formed a 10-member commission to monitor the election security environment. She said seven policewomen had lost their lives in the last couple of years but their spirit remained high.
Oxfam, a UK-based organisation, recently linked the small number of Afghan policewomen to increasing incidents of violence against women in the country.
In a report, Oxfam said 15 percent of the Afghan police force was comprised of women.
Hikmat Shahi said their priority was to equip and train the policewomen. She added a number of policewomen had been sent to Egypt, South Korea and Finland for training courses.
Col. Gulalai, her deputy, says a commission selects police personnel for training courses in human rights, controlling violence against women and capacity building.
nh/mud
