In a society like ours, women have never enjoyed an equal status to that of men. This wide-ranging issue also includes policing and law enforcement, particularly in matters related to women.
Women police is considered as an important part of the society in the developed nations. However, the situation in our country is not so appreciable. A mere four or five percent of women police force in the whole country can’t curtail the rising crime rate in women. Their importance is also increased by the fact that the cultural, traditional and sometimes religious sentiments don’t allow women to go to police stations dominated by men.
In this connection, there is a strong need to increase not only the percentage of women police force, but also the number of police stations headed by women. Although, efforts were made to make women and men police to work together, the male chauvinism didn’t allow this to succeed. If women are allowed to work separately and with authority, an improvement in policing can be expected and issues related to women will be dealt with in a much better manner.
ZULFIQAR HAIDER
Islamabad
