In a step aimed at increasing women employment and representation in the area of security and law enforcement, the Directorate of Police and Public Security in the town of Jarablus in Aleppo province on Friday announced it will recruit dozens of women after undergoing special training courses.

“The announcement was made because men were unable to deal with women’s issues in the town and to ease the burden placed on the police force in the area,” said Major Hamad, head of the Directorate of Police and Public Security.

“Twenty applications were received on the first day of the recruitment,” Major Hamad said. He pointed out that 50 women will be employed in the women’s police force in Jarablus. At this rate, the number of applicants could reach 200, he added.

The new female recruits will begin working after the completion of practical and theoretical tests, an interview, and a training course on dealing with women and the methods of searching, Major Hamad said. The fact that all guards in the women’s prison in the town are currently males is causing “embarrassment” to the policemen and prisoners alike, he added.

“Policewomen will have their own headquarters to work in and will not mix with male members of the police force. They will carry out tasks that are related to women only,” Major Hamad added. The move will solve a number of problems the force currently faces including the problem of searching women by male members of the police force, he added.

In recent years, Syrian women have assumed an important role in local administration and civil society in the liberated areas. Some women have established associations and organizations to support women. They also organized events as part of the “Women Offices” in the local councils. The civil defense corps and medical centers have female members in their ranks. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Smart News Network)