North Africa: Gender and SSR
In 2012 DCAF, at the request of various Tunisian interlocutors, began a dedicated long term project to strengthen the integration of gender into security sector reform (SSR) processes in Tunisia. The project complements and reinforces the SSR programming developed in DCAF’s office in Tunis.
The overall goal of this project is to support the development of security and justice providers that promote equal participation of women and men in the service, and effectively address and respond to the security needs of the entire population.
As a first step, DCAF, in close collaboration with local partners, is conducting a gender and SSR mapping and needs assessment. The mapping and assessment, which seeks to provide a baseline study of the current status of gender mainstreaming in security sector institutions and SSR processes in Tunisia, has five key objectives:
- To ascertain the current state of gender mainstreaming in security sector institutions.
- To raise awareness of the importance of adopting a gender sensitive approach to SSR processes and initiatives in Tunisia.
- To ensure stakeholder support and high-level political buy-in for future activities on gender and SSR.
- To strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations, especially women’s organisations, to engage actively with government agencies and other actors leading the SSR process.
- To support security sector institutions in developing and strengthening their capacity to effectively integrate a gender perspective into policies and practices.
In addition, DCAF is closely following current initiatives on gender and SSR in other North African countries.
