HYDERABAD: A Capacity building session on Gender Inclusiveness with junior police officials was organised by Individualland Pakistan on Wednesday in Hyderabad. Hyderabad Senior DSP Shabbib Sarki, who was the chief guest, said that gender equality is more than a goal. It is a precondition to reduce poverty, promote sustainable development and ensure good governance. Furthermore, he said that it has a profound impact on policing for peace maintenance and addresses the importance of equal representation of women in police. It further enhances professionalism in police by ensuring that different concerns of women and men are addressed during police operations. The training aimed at discussing citizen centric and gender sensitive policing in Sindh. A junior police official said that “Police facilities must meet the needs of female officers. Men and women are different in many aspects; keeping this difference in mind while devising policies and standardising operating procedures is necessary to ensure gender equality in the department”. SSP Pir Muhammad Shah who attended the training on the issue of gender sensitive policing said “In order to ensure gender sensitive policing, it is necessary that all cadres of the police force are sensitized on its importance” “Gender mainstreaming is our common responsibility to ensure a sustainable recovery from conflict and a lasting peace and security,” a participant said. DIG Hyderabad Javed Alam Odho as a special guest at the training said “Police personnel are unaware of human rights and therefore lack gender sensitivity. While we often discuss problems and issues faced by the police in Pakistan, the issue of gender sensitivity is always neglected”. Individualland Pakistan, a consultancy firm, recently launched an initiative “Support for Capacity Development in the Criminal Investigative Services in Pakistan”. It focuses on sensitising junior, mid-level and senior police officials on the issue of gender inclusiveness by highlighting the issue of gender exclusive police stations within Sindh. It formulates sustainable solutions and fills the missing gaps to make police stations gender inclusive. The participants lauded the efforts of Individualland Pakistan in conducting these trainings and urged that such trainings should also be organised in the future. Mushoud Ali and Awais Mehmood arranged the event on behalf of Individualland Pakistan. Published in Daily Times, April 19th 2018.