Female officers achieve high ranking positions in Latin American security forces

In a  sign of a shift towards greater gender-equality in Latin America, it is common  nowadays to find female presidents in the region, which helps fight the culture  of machismo that Latin America has historically been known for. Additionally, it is worth noting that in recent months, female  officers have achieved high-ranking posts within their country’s security forces  (both in the armed forces and police).

A positive step in women’s rights development

Within the past year, the governments Bolivia, Colombia and  Venezuela have promoted female officers to important security posts. For  example, in July 2012, the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez promoted Carmen  Melendez de Maniglia to the rank of Admiral; making her the first female  Venezuelan citizen to be appointed to this position.

Moreover, this past July, Admiral Melendez was named by President  Nicolas Maduro as the new Minister of Defense (she is also the first woman to  hold this position).  Furthermore, this past May in Bolivia, President Evo  Morales promoted Gina Reque Teran as the landlocked nation’s first female  General of the Bolivian Army.

It is not just ALBA nations that are making important progressive  achievements regarding gender equality in security agencies. In mid-August, General  Luz Marina Bustos was named as the deputy director of the Colombian police.  As with the aforementioned Bolivian and Venezuelan examples, this is the first  time that a female Colombian police officer has received this distinguished  appointment.

Read more