Nearly one in three women experiences gender-based violence in their lifetime. Every ten minutes, a woman is killed by their partner or someone in their family. Terminology The United Nations defines violence against women as " any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether…

An integral yet overlooked part of the UN police is the protection of civilians. Protecting civilians is a core responsibility of United Nations peacekeeping—and a central task of United Nations Police (UNPOL). The Protection of Civilians (POC) mandate ensures that people are safeguarded from physical violence, that the rule of law is upheld, and that conditions for sustainable peace are created. The first UN peacekeeping mission explicitly…

Gender initiatives Increasing the number of female police officers The United Nations ensures gender-sensitive policing throughout the work of United Nations Police as an operational necessity to address the differentiated security needs of women, men, girls and boys. The participation of female police officers is critical for the full spectrum of United Nations Police activities, such as the promotion of rule of law, intelligence, planning…