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Washington, D.C., October 12, 2023. The report, "Enhancing Security: Women’s Participation in the Security Forces in Latin America and the Caribbean: Part II," presents findings from its project examining progress in integrating gender into military and national police forces in 15 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean; Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Dominica, El Salvador, Grenada, Guyana, Haití, Honduras, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent &, Grenadines, Suriname.
The study reveals that there is growing momentum in integrating gender equality in military and national police forces, though a gap between rhetorical commitment and action persists, challenging governments to apply the necessary political will and resources to advance gender equality in their security institutions.
The 2023 report, along with the findings from 14 countries in the first “ Enhancing Security” report released in 2020, present a baseline of data and analysis for Mexico and the 28 countries in the U.S. Southern Command’s Area of Responsibility.
Key findings of the 2023 report:
- Countries have developed a range of agreements and policies that reflect a commitment to greater advancement towards gender equality;
- A broad commitment to gender integration has not produced consistent, transformational changes in policies and practices that can recruit, promote, and retain women in security forces;
- Women’s representation in military and national police forces remains low;
- Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are poorly resourced, often lacking the data and civil society interaction that contribute to more effective policy decision-making.
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