KARACHI, Sept 29: Speakers at a workshop on Thursday called for providing gender sensitization training to police personnel, and said it would lead to a positive change in their attitudes while dealing with women victims who come to lodge a complaint.

They were speaking at the inauguration of a two-day training workshop on “gender sensitization – civil society and police”, organized by the Shehri, in collaboration with Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

They said that the police personnel, who have the responsibility of maintaining law and order and protecting the life, property and honour of the citizens, work under high stress and it was necessary that police force was sensitized. However, this sensitivity could not be achieved solely through large-scale educational programmes and dissemination of knowledge and skills without civil society, they added.

Amber Alibhai of Shehri and Babar Bashir and Zehra Kamal of an Islamabad- based NGO, Rozan, spoke to the participants. The trainings is being attended by over 25 police inspectors and station house officers and NGO workers.