Policing Gender Violence in El Salvador

Posted: 22 April 2004

by Kevin Pepper

A full 98 percent of female Salvadoran police officers report having been victims of on-the-job harassment. CEMUJER is fostering respect among the ranks—and a safer society for women.

El Salvador can be a frightening place to live if you're a woman. It is ranked the third most violent country in Latin America and the second most violent for women.

It does not help that, when a women is being abused, the only police department she can call is one where abuse against women is commonplace. In a survey conducted in 2000, 98 percent of the approximately 1,000 female police officers said they had been victims of on-the-job physical, sexual, and/or psychological harassment.

But this statistic is soon to change. In fall 2003, Oxfam partner CEMUJER secured a momentous commitment from the National Civilian Police (PNC) of El Salvador to conduct gender sensitivity training with key personnel. The idea is that if PNC officers learn to respect their co-workers and families, they will carry this respect into a society where endemic violence, combined with pervasive machisimo mores, has resulted in an oppressive environment for women.

Project Democracy

CEMUJER's efforts are part of a larger Oxfam project to foster democracy in El Salvador and to bridge the gap between an extremely closed Salvadoran government and its citizens. Today, 13 Oxfam partners, including small producer cooperatives, disaster preparedness organizations, and others, are learning how to represent their interests in local and national government. Approximately 50 percent of the project is aimed at women.

At the time the project began, Oxfam was already supporting CEMUJER's efforts to promote sexual health following the 2001 earthquakes: risky sexual activity often increases after a natural disaster when traumatized people wonder if they'll survive. When Oxfam proposed the democracy-building project to CEMUJER, this shrewd organization seized on the idea of focusing on the police-and quickly realized success.

Steps to a Safer Society

CEMUJER found an eager partner in the PNC, which had already identified the need to address sexual harassment. In addition to agreeing to train key personnel, including at least 150 female staff, the PNC also committed to providing equipment and transportation for training. CEMUJER, in turn, is designing and conducting the training and offering counseling and legal aid to female PNC personnel and family members.

To date, CEMUJER has conducted workshops with 116 female PNC officers to help them recognize harassment as inappropriate and to understand their rights. With the next phase of training, CEMUJER will coach both male and female PNC officers on gender discrimination and sexual harassment. It will also conduct a national meeting of all female PNC staff. With each of these steps, CEMUJER is paving the way for a safer, more hopeful El Salvador for women.