BY JOY OFASIA
BEING a woman in the Solomon Islands security sector can be a challenging task for women like Joan Ini who works full-time as a security officer for ‘Coast Watch Security Firm’ in Honiara.
People’s expectation of a security officer is a well-built man. Being a woman in the country’s security sector may face many problems, like many people may label a security officer and what they should look like.
However, Joan who is from the Guadalcanal province, had already gone through a series of struggles to prove her capability and become equal in the workplace to her male counterparts.
“People see this job as a men’s job, but women can also do it just as men can. Women know and have what it takes to become a security officers across all functions, roles, and responsibilities within the country’s security sector.
She said women are an asset to the country’s security sector because they can access areas where men can’t.
“We often have better communication skills that can resolve a situation and can offer a better and more calm and sensible approach. The security sector is always shifting, and right now it is adjusting to a place where women are more involved than ever.
“Women vendors have their problems and situations that only women security officers are easier to attend to their needs. Likewise, men vendors also have their problems that can be dealt with by men security officers.
“Women are an incredible talent to all sectors, and security is no different,” Joan told SOLOMON WOMEN.
Joan is often stationed at the Honiara Central Market. Her duties as a security officer are to monitor the daily vending activities and most importantly to provide safekeeping to the local market vendors.
“There are rules and regulations to be followed and my responsibility is to look after women vendors throughout the day. Every day my colleagues and I would go around monitoring people’s movement and safety within the market area, and to make sure they comply with market regulations.
“There are issues that vendors often face such as market areas being too crowded and limited space for some women vendors. This is when we come in to help look out for spaces so that they could sit down comfortably and market their products.
“Our work is not easy, sometimes we come across situations where arguments may rise between vendors and security officers. But the most important thing is to ensure a positive communication approach; which we must always try to handle the situation respectably and fairly with people,” she noted.
