A Gender-Equal Police Force Brings Moldova Closer to the EU

FBA has long supported peace and security actors in their efforts to improve their work on gender equality.

In 2025, FBA, together with the Swedish Police Authority, carried out the training programme Gender Responsive Leadership (GRL) for twelve senior managers within the Moldovan police.

The programme combined theoretical knowledge with practical tools, which have supported the managers in promoting a more gender-equal workplace and ensuring that the police incorporate a gender perspective into their operations.

Work Tasks and Career Opportunities Are Opening Up

Changes began to emerge already during the programme. The participating managers reported that they now see gender equality work as an asset in their daily work. The changes observed relate to personal conviction, shifts in attitudes, and concrete behavioral changes regarding gender equality.

One manager described how he has begun assessing how decisions affect both women and men in his department. Questions such as “who is affected?” and “is the distribution fair?” have become part of the decision-making process.

At several police stations, women now, thanks to the programme, have access to work tasks that were previously reserved for men. One police chief described how female officers had previously not been allowed to drive police cars—something he has now changed. He was pleasantly surprised to find strong interest among female staff in taking on this task.

Others reflected on how to create more gender equality through recruitment and career development processes, with many now offering promotions to women alongside skills development to help them succeed in their new roles.

One manager shared that many of his colleagues were skeptical of his proposal to promote a female employee to a senior position, but he showed courage and went against the current.

In hindsight, both he and his previously hesitant colleagues now see that it has even worked better with a woman than a man in that particular position.

Most managers have initiated gender analyses of recruitment processes—one manager, with the help of such analysis, will identify the main reasons why women leave the police and highlight workplace factors that may have an exclusionary effect on both women and men.

In another district, the focus has been on training initiatives, and all staff will undergo further education in gender equality to raise the level of knowledge among all officers in the district. One manager is planning several activities, for example to strengthen the status of female police officers in the local community, to increase trust between citizens and the police, and to highlight women’s professional competence while challenging stereotypical perceptions.

In one district, specific measures have also been launched to improve the treatment of victims of domestic violence.

A Step Toward EU Membership

EU policy states that member states’ police forces are expected to work actively to promote gender equality. The reform efforts initiated by the police managers during and after the GRL course therefore clearly contribute to Moldova’s goal of joining the EU.

Anna Bäck was responsible for the training on behalf of FBA. She says it has been incredibly impressive to follow how these high-ranking managers have gone from being skeptical of gender equality work to now being able to analyze, question, and address stereotypical notions about men and women in their workplaces, while also initiating several concrete gender equality measures in their districts.

– This courageous group of leaders is truly driving change and modernization within the Moldovan police organization. Through this, the police become a better workplace for both men and women, and they are able to deliver security to both men and women in their districts, while also bringing their country closer to EU accession.