Hans Leijtens wants more female employees in EU border troops and “women-sensitive” camps at the external borders. The concept is also being criticised.
“At Frontex, we are committed to promoting gender-balanced and gender-sensitive borders”, explained Hans Leijtens, the new director of the EU border agency, in a speech on 8 March to mark International Women’s Day. On this date, Frontex organised a round table on the topic of “Women in border management” for the first time at its headquarters in Warsaw.
The agency described the aims of the meeting as “pay special tribute to women working at the borders” and encouraging them to aspire to leadership positions. In addition to the host Leijtens, the speakers included the EU Agency for Gender Equality, representatives of the Belgian Council Presidency and the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson. “Leadership has no gender”, the speakers agreed after their speeches.
In response to an enquiry from “nd”, Frontex explains what the gender border concept is all about. It focuses on measures to promote women in the “Standing Corps”, a new border force of 10,000 officers under the direct command of the Frontex headquarters in Warsaw. Mentoring programmes for women aspiring to leadership positions in the field of border management are intended to ensure greater equality. “Mixed teams are more effective in our border management operations”, is the reason given.
Refugees arriving at the EU’s external borders should also benefit from gender equality. The agency is committed “to ensure that our approach to border management is comprehensive, inclusive”, a spokesperson told “nd”, and therefore wants to “make the entire registration and border-crossing process more sensitive to the needs of women”.
Border surveillance and controls are the responsibility of the EU member states. Frontex is therefore calling on governments to organise “essential facilities for women and children awaiting processing”. The states and Frontex should also work together with UN agencies such as the International Organisation for Migration and the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees to implement this.
“The concept of wanting to make border security gender-neutral leads to depoliticisation,” criticises political scientist Julia Sachseder from the Central European University of Vienna. Although there is gender-specific violence at the external borders, Frontex is ignoring structural relations of violence.
“Security for the EU means insecurity for refugees, and that primarily affects women,” says Sachseder, who has also published on the topic with other female researchers. This is why gender-specific inequalities are also inscribed in Frontex. This will not change even if more women work at Frontex.”If Frontex emphasises diversity and yet continues to harness the borders, violent border practices will be cemented.”
Published in German in „nd“.
Image: Round Table at International Women’s Day with Hans Leijtens.
