WILLEMSTAD - On November 15, the Curaçao police celebrate the 50th anniversary of the female corps. Since 1971, the police of the Netherlands Antilles have also admitted women to the force at the request of the government.
Out of the six hundred applicants, twelve candidates went to Leusden in the Netherlands to follow a course. The training was followed in the Netherlands, because there were still insufficient facilities on the islands at the time. All facilities were still aimed at men. The women left for the Netherlands on 15 November 1971 and returned after their graduation in March 1973.
When the women started working, they had to fight against discrimination. They were not allowed to carry weapons, work night shifts, control prisons and work on other islands. The women soon left their mark on the organization.
A church service was held in Pietermaai cathedral on Monday morning. The first women of the police were invited here and all women who work in places where only men used to work. An exhibition was opened in the National Archives. The exhibition will run until March 22, 2022. There is also an exhibition on the Nijmegenstraat. This is more extensive and is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Photo credit: Persbureau