Security Sector Reform: Nigerian Men, Gender Rights and Organizational Culture

Abstract

This dissertation seeks to analyze the impact of societal norms on the organizational culture of security sector institutions with respect to male gender rights. A case study of the Nigeria Police Force's response to male victims of gender-based violence (GBV) was used as the basis of the research. Service delivery by officers of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has remained one of the major indicators for the success of the security sector reform process in Nigeria. Considered a highly repressive male dominated and gender-insensitive institution, for the past few years, there have been persistent calls for the transformation of the NPF into a citizen-friendly organization. In response, several reform-oriented initiatives have been introduced and implemented. In 2009, the NPF adopted its institutional Gender Policy and reconstituted its Gender Unit on 13th October 2014, all in a bid to ensure that gender is effectively mainstreamed in its organizational culture. By comparing the case study findings on the policies, norms and employee behavior within the NPF with a literature review and analytical framework, the dissertation attempts to determine whether the existing culture within the Nigerian society plays a major role in the organizational culture of the NPF in respect to institutional response to male victims of gender based violence.