Author: Bibby, Claire1
Published in National Security Journal, 05 April 2021
Safety considerations when communicating
This part of the survey considers whether issues of safety are preventing men and women from communicating with each other, potentially limiting opportunities for women’s voice to be heard. Survey participants were asked to think about their most recent or current international policing experience and select how safe it is to meet a person of the same gender, or of a different gender, on their own in public or in private. Participants were asked to consider this in relation to meeting with indigenous/local people, expatriates, and people from partner agencies.
A total 75.41 – 96.73% of male respondents and 71.42 – 92.86% of female respondents reported good safety and great safety when meeting people across the three groups in public on their own regardless of gender. When meeting with indigenous/local people of the same gender on their own in public and in private, a higher percentage of females (85.71 – 92.86%) reported good and greater levels of safety than males (80.00 – 88.52%). Females felt safer meeting with indigenous females in public and in private, than meeting with females of expatriate or partner agencies in public or in private.
Females reported feeling less safe than males when meeting with people from expatriate and partner agencies of the same gender, in public, on their own. Females felt less safe than males meeting people from expatriate and partner agencies of a different gender in public on their own. When meeting with people from expatriate and partner agencies of a different gender, in private, on their own, females feel 20.12 – 24.05% less safe than males.
When meeting with indigenous/local people of a different gender in public, males (75.41%) and females (71.43%) reported similar levels of good and great safety. How- ever, both males (48.33%) and females (50.00%) reported similar and significantly reduced levels of good and great safety when meeting on their own with indigenous/ local people of a different gender in private. There are similar reports from females, who said it was not safe (35.71%) or small safety (14.29%) and males who said it was not safe (18.33 %) or small safety (28.33%).
Table 7a: Percentage of males reporting good and great safety when meeting with people on their own