Amid the bureau's intensified efforts in ensuring utmost jail security nationwide, it stays focused on working for a gender-sensitive jail management. A workshop on gender issues affecting jail management shall convene 20 officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) today at Olongapo City. The event is sponsored by Balay Rehabilitation Center, Inc., a non-government organization and long-time partner of the BJMP in its programs for the inmates' welfare and development.
"We are working on strengthening our officers' awareness and responsiveness to gender issues confronting BJMP", said Jail Senior Superintendent Nida Gacutan-Ramos, Director for Inmates' Welfare and Development (IWD) and acting chair of the bureau's Gender Awareness and Development (GAD) Focal Point.
Among the issues to be tackled in the activity are violence against women, role-stereotyping in the uniformed sector, continuous rehabilitation of female inmates, identifying the role of men in stopping violence against women and others. The main thrusts of the one-day seminar workshop are for gender issues in the context of the jail service to be addressed and to provide updates on the same.
Meanwhile, in response to BJMP's campaign for a gender-sensitive jail management, the bureau's all-male group called Men Opposes Violence Everywhere (MOVE) continues with their advocacy of leading their peers in promoting gender empowerment.
BJMP Chief, Jail Director Rosendo M. Dial said that gender awareness and development are a shared concern for all. "We are working towards a jail service of gender equality and advancement, both for our personnel and inmates", said Dial.
Source:
Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, 2012, BJMP Gears for Gender-responsive Jails, BJMP in Focus, First Quarter, 2012, p. 5