Women in Law Enforcement in the ASEAN Region

This study explores the experiences and views of women police officers from across the ASEAN region. It seeks to better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with women’s representation, roles and meaningful participation in law enforcement work, and provides a series of recommendations to further enhance such participation. The study was undertaken as a joint project between INTERPOL, UN Women and UNODC from 2019 to 2020 and was generously supported by the Government of Canada.

The Report, launched on 26 August 2020, explores the experiences and views of women police officers from across the ASEAN region to further understand opportunities and obstacles for women police officers. The Report provides a snapshot of the current state of affairs with regards to the recruitment, training, deployment and promotion of women police officers, and analyses policies and practices that support or hinder the participation of women in law enforcement.  

The Report offers a series of recommendations aimed at supporting collaboration among ASEAN Member States, key stakeholders, and partners, to adopt and implement gender-inclusive policies and practices that accelerate women’s meaningful participation in law enforcement, and, increase the gender-responsiveness of law enforcement agencies.