Asia | Japan | Security

Japan rolls out sleek, all-female police squad to protect Ivanka

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A squad of female police have smartened themselves up to guard U.S. presidential adviser Ivanka Trump, who arrives in Tokyo on Nov. 2. Gone is the bulky body armor used when facing rioters or dangerous criminals, to be replaced by smart black suits. It is the first time that Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department has formed a female-only security team.
South Asia | New Zealand | Leadership

Police women shining the torch

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Retired, current and recently-sworn women police in Palmerston North hosted half of a torch on Saturday, celebrating 75 years since the first woman joined the New Zealand Police. The half-torch arrived from Woodville at midday, and was handed to Inspector Sarah Stewart for a whistle-stop visit. Accompanying the torch, leader for the Central District's 75-year celebrations Jeanette Park said it was important to pause and recognise the milestone. While still outnumbered by men, she said women in the police had come a long way.
Africa | South Africa | Crimes

The all-female patrol stopping South Africa’s rhino poachers

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As rhino deaths have soared across South Africa, in Balule reserve the Black Mambas patrol of local women has achieved a 76% reduction in poaching since 2013. Now there are plans to extend the award-winning scheme. “The Black Mambas are winning the war on poaching,” insists Siphiwe Sithole. “We have absolutely zero tolerance for rhino poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The poachers will fall – but it will not be with guns and bullets.” Sithole and Felicia Mogakane are members of South Africa’s Black Mambas, the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit that has capt
Africa | Liberia | Security

UN Mission accomplished: Iconic Indian all-women UN peacekeeping unit to return

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Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has thanked India’s first-ever all-woman UN peacekeeping unit that was deployed in the war-torn African nation as it prepares to depart the country after a nine-year tour of duty. The Indian Formed Police Unit (FPU) which is also the first-ever all-woman police unit in UN peacekeeping history, has served the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) since 2007. It will depart the country on February 14, as Liberia gets ready to assume full responsibility for national security amid the ongoing UNMIL drawdown. “The contribution you have made in inspiring
South Asia | India | Security

India appoints first female chief to border security forces

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India has appointed its first woman director of a security force that guards the country’s borders. Archana Ramasundram, who first joined the country’s police forces in 1981, was named director general of the Sashastra Seema Bal  — or Armed Border Force – a paramilitary force that patrols India’s border with Nepal and Bhutan. Ramasundram, 58, ascended to the position just two years after the SSB began recruiting women with approval from the Indian government.  Prior to the appointment, she led the country’s National Crime Records Bureau. In her new post she will oversee more t
North America | United States | Security

WWII Code Breaker And NSA’s First Female Deputy Director, Ann Caracristi, Dies At 94

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Ann Caracristi, the first female Deputy Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), code breaker and a pioneer of using early computers in cryptanalysis during World War II, died Tuesday at the age of 94. Caracristi, unlike other code breakers of the time did not have a degree in mathematics, but in English and History. Caracristi graduated from Russell Sage College in Troy, N.Y in 1942. In a transcript from the Veterans History Project: Stories From The Veterans History Project, Caracristi said her recruitment to the Signal Intelligence Service (SIS), which became the NS
Africa | DRC | Security

Meet the First Female Rangers to Guard One of the World’s Deadliest Parks

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Wildlife ranger Aline Masika Kisamya recalls the day last year when she was on patrol in the dense forest on the flanks of Mikeno volcano, in Congo’s Virunga National Park, and came face-to-face with a buffalo. African buffaloes are notoriously aggressive and known to kill people. Kisamya froze, assessed the situation, and, calmly and quietly, began to retreat without turning her back. She wasn’t afraid, the 26-year old says: “This is what I’ve been taught to do.” Virunga, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is the continent’s most diver
North America | Canada | History

From start to finish, Bev Busson blazed the way for women

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Bev Busson was a newly minted Dartmouth, NS teacher on May 23, 1974, driving to her summer job working with special needs kids, when she heard on the radio that the RCMP was going to accept applications from women. She happened to be driving by the local detachment and picked up an application. “It was like destiny pulling me in another direction,” she says. In less than four months, the then 23-year-old Bev MacDonald was a sworn police officer in Regina for training with 31 other women who together formed Troop 17, the first RCMP female officers. Little did she know three decades l
South Asia | Sri Lanka | Security

Sri Lanka female cop is policewoman of the year

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A Sri Lankan female officer has been named the world’s best policewoman of 2015 by the International Association of Women Police (IWAP). Its mission is to strengthen, unite, and raise the profile of women in criminal justice across the world. Assistant Superintendent Wimathi Periyapperuma of Sri Lanka and an Indian police woman will share the International Recognition and Scholarship Award. The process of selections is very competitive as IAWP considers thousands of applications from member states. The award is based on the efficiency and dedication displayed by policewomen.
Asia | Korea | Military

‘Flowers of the sky’: Kim Jong-un personally congratulates female fighter pilots

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North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has observed the training flight of the country's first female supersonic jet pilots, praising the women as "flowers of the sky". According to Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the state news agency, Mr Kim watched Jo Kum-hyang and Rim Sol's solo take-off and landing drills "with satisfaction". It is not the first time Mr Kim has singled out Ms Jo and Ms Rim for praise. In November 2014, he commended the same pilots on completing a flying pursuit drill, noting that "it is highly praiseworthy for young girls to singly pilot a pur
North America | United States | Crimes

Women, guns: Well armed and growing

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It’s third Thursday at the Thunder Alley Indoor Shooting Range, which means it’s shooting time for members of Lincoln’s Well Armed Woman chapter. Chapter leader Julie Delp moves slowly behind the six-lane shooting range, observing the girls’ tiniest movements -- forward leans, crossing thumbs over gun handles. She watches for mistakes that happen all too often with firearms. Many women might own one, Delp said, but few can properly shoot it. That’s why she brought a Well Armed Woman chapter -- a national organization that trains women how to safely handle firearms -- to Linc
South Asia | Nepal | Crimes

Nepal earthquake survivors get self-defence classes after sexual assaults

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Police in Nepal have started self-defence lessons for women and girls in camps for people displaced by massive earthquakes earlier this year after concerns about a number of sexual assaults and an increase in reports of sexual harassment.More than 8,700 people died in the two major quakes that hit Nepal on April 25 and May 12, destroying nearly half a million houses and leaving thousands camping out in the open. “While visiting different camps in Kathmandu, we realised the need for such training so that women can protect themselves,” said Tara Thapa, deputy superintendent of police in
South Asia | India | Crimes

Women in India Are Turning into “Charlie’s Angels” to Fight Sexual Assault

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A New Delhi police force has a refreshing new tactic to combat sexual assault: a specially trained squad of karate-chopping policewomen, who hope to bring justice to the so-called "rape capital" of India. Their trainers call them "Charlie's Angels," and they're dedicated to cleaning up the capital's streets. The Angels: Led by policewoman Bharti Wadhwa and supported by Delhi police Chief Bhim Sain Bassi — who has been vocal about his commitment to Indian women's safety for years — this special unit of 40 women has been training in martial arts techniques for months. The squad's goal is
Asia | China | Military

China’s 1st Squad of Female UN Peacekeeping Soldiers

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Reports that a squad of 13 female soldiers were to join China's first infantry battalion for a U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan attracted widespread public attention in December 2014. Many praised the women for their bravery, but little was subsequently revealed about the individual efforts and prices they had paid to join the peacekeeping mission. Previously engaged in various sectors such as emergency rescue, communications and literature publicity, the 13 girls came from different parts of China. Through their competence and hard work, they all passed the examinations and test