Police recruits trained on gender and human rights issues [1]
Wednesday, September 19, 2018 - 18:04. Updated on Thursday, September 20, 2018 - 09:40.
A group of 28 Tonga Police recruits completed a program considering human rights and gender issues, delivered by the Women and Children Crisis Centre on September 14.
Trainer Lesila To’ia from WCCC said today the training aims to help Police Recruits respond effectively and appropriately to survivors and victims of domestic violence by understanding its impacts on women and children.
WCCC works closely with Tonga Police in addressing these issues.
The training covered the issues of gender, human rights, domestic violence, child abuse, rape, sexual harassment, the Family Protection Act, Healthy and Equal, Respectful Relationships and male advocacy.
She said as a result of the program that some of the recruits wanted to become Male Advocates.
"This is good training in terms of unpacking some of the myths that they have heard especially with Gender and Human Rights and they wanted to start small in changing their attitudes and behaviors," she said.
Superintendent Ashely Fua, Director of the Tonga Police Training College, said gender bias is an identified issue within policing that affects how they do business, and as a performance hindrance.
The Tonga Police Gender Advocacy Group together with the Family Free of Violence Program (FFOV) and the Tonga Police Development Program (TPDP) engaged WCCC to deliver a training package aimed at sensitizing police officers on gender and human rights issues specific to Tongan culture and local circumstances.
"The training takes a hard look at how our culture and society defines the role of women and men and the expectations that entail. It then makes a clear link to our behaviour, whether in the workplace or private life."
It further prompted core questions of fairness, equity and equality of the treatment of women and of the services we provide to the public, he said.
Certificates were awarded the recruits after the one-week training.