Women and persons with disabilities endure multiple challenges in mine action work. Thongvone Sosamphan and Mikael Bold provide insight into how such issues have been addressed in the professional sphere, what legislation frames them and how the mine action community can further respond to their inclusion in mine action

Hankey, William

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James Madison University

Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction Volume 18 Issue 3 The Journal of ERW and Mine Action Article 9 November 2014 Gender and Disability Equality in Mine Action Program Management William Hankey Gender and Mine Action Programme Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal  Part of the Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, and the Peace and Conflict Studies Commons Recommended Citation Hankey, William (2014) "Gender and Disability Equality in Mine Action Program Management," The Journal of ERW and Mine Action : Vol. 18 : Iss. 3 , Article 9. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol18/iss3/9 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for International Stabilization and Recovery at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction by an authorized editor of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact dc_admin@jmu.edu. 3318.3 | fall 2014 | the journal of ERW and mine action | featureGender and Disability Equality in   Mine Action Program ManagementWomen and persons with disabilities endure multiple challenges in mine action work. Thongvone Sosamphan and Mikael Bold provide insight into how such issues have been addressed in the pro-fessional sphere, what legislation frames them and how the mine action community can further re-spond to their inclusion in mine action.by William Hankey [ Gender and Mine Action Programme ]Women and persons with disabilities (PWDs) face numerous barriers when trying to access employment in the mine action sector. These challenges include•	 Poor or inaccessible basic services such as health care and education, which hamper employment opportunities•	 Social stigmatization, which can result in exclusion•	 Insufficient disability- and gender-friendly struc-tures and provisions in the workplace•	 Limited knowledge of gender and disability rights1In order to determine the best means of solving gender- and disability-equality issues regarding pro-gram management and hiring practices, the Gender and Mine Action Programme interviewed two indi-viduals with different but equally valuable experienc-es in mine action: Thongvone Sosamphan and Mikael Bold. As part of the National Regulatory Authority’s (NRA) gender focal point, Sosamphan and her team formally oversee recruitment and hiring proce-dures. Formerly a program technician and gender fo-cal point for the NRA on unexploded ordnance and mine action in Laos, Sosamphan currently works for the Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) in Switzerland. Bold has worked in mine action for more than 11 years in Africa and the Middle East in nongovernmental and commer-cial organizations including Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA), MineTech International, U.N. Office for Project Services and MAG (Mines Advisory Group); he currently works for GICHD.Ensuring staff maintain respectful relations is key to creating a healthy work environment. A mixed team deployed by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency in Southern Lebanon enjoys a few moments of relaxation.Photo courtesy of Johan Eklund.1Hankey: Gender and Disability Equality in Mine Action Program ManagementPublished by JMU Scholarly Commons, 201434 feature | the journal of ERW and mine action | fall 2014 | 18.3 Q How have organization(s) you have worked for ad-dressed employment barriers for women and PWDs?Sosamphan (S) : Although NRA does not yet have any policies that focus specifically on gender and disabili-ty, management understands the importance of having a diverse staff, which includes PWD. NRA encourages women, PWDs and ethnic minorities to apply for job va-cancies.Bold (B): My previous employer, NPA, had a global policy that set the norms for gender policy at the program level by positively influencing the gender balance and gender rela-tions within its own programs and operational areas. Each NPA mine action program strived for a minimum of 20 percent female employees and to have at least one female team operational by the end of 2014. Q How did you use your position to address gender and diversity issues?S: As the gender focal point for NRA, my team and I en-sured that applicants were recruited based on their ability to fulfill the necessary tasks. Although not responsible for recruitment, my team and I ensured that NRA recruited applicants based on his or her ability to fulfill the neces-sary tasks.B: NPA made it easy; I followed the policy and tried to exceed it. Furthermore, in line with the gender policy, all programs reported on their gender indicators on a month-ly and annual basis. Q Were your [respective programs’] internal policies and procedures adapted to reflect gender and dis-ability concerns?S: Human resources (HR) took some practical action and made vacancy announcements gender- and disability-sensitive.B: From the beginning, MAG and NPA established pro-cedures that haven’t needed adapting. Of course, in mine action more generally, female staff has been employed in support and administrative roles for a long time. But if you look at Southeast Asia, many PWDs are employed as de-miners and in peer-to-peer support programs. Since each group brings its own benefits to a program, you can always adapt and overcome obstacles to their employment. Q How important is it to make staff aware of gender- and disability-related provisions in the organization?S: If all staff members are aware of these issues, the work-ing environment will become progressively friendlier. This is especially true for males and nondisabled staff who do not always understand that certain practices and atti-tudes can be discriminatory or offensive.B: Trying to change these issues at a local level can be dif-ficult and must be done by senior management to ensure that the policy is strong. Q How can programs raise staff awareness of gender and disability concerns effectively?S: In my experience, workshops, expert advice and evalu-ation are the best methods for increasing staff awareness. Managers also play an important role by providing an ex-ample for other employees.B: Programs can raise staff awareness in three ways: (1) HR policy that applies to expats and national staff can effectively raise gender and disability awareness by in-forming local staff of their rights as well as the organi-zation’s expectations. (2) An effective monitoring system obligates staff to remain accountable to the HR policies that they agreed to in their contract. (3) Train people on the organization’s work ethics and policies. Q What particular considerations need to be taken into ac-count for women and PWDs in mine action programs?S: One cannot forget that women and men are physical-ly different and have specific needs such as segregated Procedures can always be adapted to local contexts. In Somaliland, The HALO Trust was able to deploy female de-miners by segregating teams. Photo courtesy of Pascal Bongard/Geneva Call.2Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 18, Iss. 3 [2014], Art. 9https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol18/iss3/93518.3 | fall 2014 | the journal of ERW and mine action | featurefacilities and accommodation. The same applies to PWDs, though additional factors such as accessibility need to be taken into account. These issues must be considered when developing policies and operating procedures.B: The organizations I have worked for (U.N., NPA, MAG) included maternity/paternity leave details in the staff con-tract. Considerations are related to donors as well as the HR policy and contract agreements that are signed when taking the job. The question is, are donors willing to pay for extra staff, maternity leave and additional facilities to keep women and PWDs in mine action programs? Q Why should organizations ensure women know their rights involving pregnancy and parental leave?S: There are limitations on the kind of physical work a pregnant woman can do that affect the quality of the work she carries out and her safety. If women are aware of their rights, they will know that they cannot be fired when they become pregnant and will not risk themselves, and their baby, by continuing work they should not be doing.B: While some organizations make no effort to accom-modate pregnant women in operational roles, others have maternity-leave provisions and a system that provides al-ternative positions during pregnancy, and child care ar-rangements thereafter. If a woman knows she has rights, she will be able to claim them and not risk losing her job. But this means that operators need to be aware of legis-lation surrounding women’s employment and pregnancy. Q How can organizations make the work environment friendlier for women and PWDs?S: HR can minimize social stigmatization at work by de-veloping policy that includes women and men of diverse backgrounds and abilities. Providing adequate facilities is also fundamental to meeting employees’ needs. This is particularly true for PWDs who need certain material conditions to work—accessibility, facilities, and if needed, accommodation. But these costs are more than recuper-ated by women’s and PWD’s lower absenteeism rates, and a wider pool of skills and experiences from which to draw.A female Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency deminer receives training in Southern Lebanon. Photo courtesy of Johan Eklund.3Hankey: Gender and Disability Equality in Mine Action Program ManagementPublished by JMU Scholarly Commons, 201436 feature | the journal of ERW and mine action | fall 2014 | 18.3B: Organizations can review the ex-isting labor law put into effect by the national government. By building upon existing legislation that has al-ready been accepted, organizations will more easily earn people’s ap-proval and achieve positive results. Q Did the organization you worked for keep disaggregated statistics on candidate applications and staff composition, and why was this important?S: Yes, we collected this information in mine-risk education, victim assis-tance and clearance. Disaggregated data on staff provides a clearer pic-ture of what assets an organization can deploy and what their different needs will be. By comparing the cur-rent situation to past data, we could measure whether progress had been made in terms of balancing staff composition. This data can then be used to develop more effective gen-der- and disability-sensitive policies.B: No, they didn’t [take this into ac-count] when I was working with them, because we only used gender-sensitive indicators for activity out-puts and outcomes. Q What measures could be devel-oped to improve retention of fe-male and disabled staff?S: Policies concerning equal oppor-tunities and prohibiting favoritism are essential. These need to be sup-ported by a strong HR department that can enforce the rules; policies mean nothing otherwise.B: The retention of female and dis-abled staff will depend on the do-nors’ willingness to invest [in its employees]. Increasing the dura-tion of parental leave may be hard, as the demining program may not last more than a year. Similarly, cre-ating alternate positions may not be necessary. However, if organiza-tions communicate with each other, there may be synergies from which all may profit. For example, if one organization cannot employ a wom-an as an operator in the field due to pregnancy and does not have an al-ternate position—perhaps another organization would have a job she can fill and her current employer can help her find and secure that job. Q Were there any mechanisms in place to evaluate your organi-zations’ abilities to respond to gender- and disability-related concerns in its programming?S: Not explicitly, however, our re-porting system does collect and store sex- and age-disaggregated data for reporting to donors and progress comparisons.B: Yes, HR policies are evaluated ev-ery six to 12 months. Because NPA, MAG and the U.N. already include gender and disability in the core of their approach, there are few con-cerns with these issues as a result.ConclusionBy making conscious efforts to em-ploy people from underrepresented groups such as women and PWDs, or-ganizations ensure that these groups are included in relevant activities.2 Sosamphan and Bold highlighted how gender and disability equality-sensi-tive hiring and management practices need sound gender and equal oppor-tunity policies, a solid administrative department that can implement them, and strong management support. Once aware of these issues—the policies in place and the rights they hold—staff may employ them fully. More prag-matic considerations such as accessible buildings, segregated facilities, ac-commodation, and child-care facilities will also ensure that men’s and wom-en’s different needs are met. By pro-viding employment opportunities in this manner, the impact of mine action programs plays a strong normative role in enabling affected communities to access their rights and empowering underrepresented groups.3 See endnotes page 65William Hankey graduated with a bach-elor’s degree in politics and interna-tional relations from the University of Exeter (U.K.) in 2013 and is completing a master’s degree in activism and so-cial change at the University of Leeds (U.K.). He worked as program assis-tant at the Gender and Mine Action Programme in Geneva, Switzerland, from January to August 2014. William HankeyProgram Assistant (former)Gender and Mine Action ProgrammeMaison de la Paix, Tower C, 7th floorChemin Eugène Rigot 2CP.O. Box 1300 1211 Geneva 1 / Switzerland Email: gmap03@gmap.ch   or willyhankey@yahoo.co.ukTel: + 41 22 7309335Website: http://gmap.chArianna Calza BiniDirectorGender and Mine Action Programme Email: a.calza-bini@gmap.ch Tel: +41 22 7309335 Fax: +41 22 7309362 Website: http://gmap.ch4Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 18, Iss. 3 [2014], Art. 9https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol18/iss3/9

Gender and Disability Equality in Mine Action Program Management

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