First of all, I would like to thank you for the invitation, to congratulate the organizers of the event for the interesting and important topic, and the President of the Parliament, my friend Anita, for putting this event under her auspices.
In the context of World Women's Day, I would like to wish all women a happy birthday, always in good health, happiness and success. Through this event, it is an opportunity for those who forget to remember that a woman's value lies primarily in the fact that she is a human being, self-existent and complete, with an impeccable, dynamic and indestructible personality, in many cases an inspiration and a driving force in life, making the world a better place, not only through the various roles of mother, sister, wife, partner and daughter, but also through her work, actions and achievements, creating a world of equality, in which the sexes, and in general all people, belong equally and coexist without discrimination. The success of an organization does not depend on the gender of the leader of the organization, but on consistency in the values of the organization, which are recorded in actions in the daily life of the Prisons, dedication and commitment to the vision and team effort made to achieve the goals of the organization.
The prison society and every society, with globalization demographically and socially, have become pluralistic, and what makes them resistant to the challenges and crises of today and tomorrow is the harmonious inclusion and coexistence of all their different and unique elements. This has been put into practice over the last 8 years in our Prisons, where our prisoners - male and female - from 68 different countries, have equal rights and opportunities to participate, in education and vocational training in the 9 schools and workshops we have created, in sports in the 8 gyms and in the basketball, volleyball, bowls, futsal and outdoor courts for calisthenics; in social/cultural/sports/charitable events and activities, inside and outside the Prison, as well as in dance, theatre, music groups, orchestra, etc.At the same time, we offered the same opportunities to the staff - male and female prison guards, who for the last 8 years have been claiming equal roles in the Prison, and performing the same tasks without discrimination in all areas of the Prison, without any more limitation of their possibilities, development and improvement.
At the same time, we offered the same opportunities to the staff - male and female prison guards, where they have been claiming equal roles in the Prison for the last 8 years, and performing the same tasks without discrimination in all areas of the Prison, without any more limitation of their possibilities, development and improvement. Women prison guards, just 8 years earlier, incredible as it may sound, were never given the opportunity to walk in all areas of the Prison, as their duties were limited exclusively to the women's wards, and it goes without saying that they did not perform the same duties as men, but they were also never given the opportunity to perform their duties in accordance with their Service Plan, which was the same as their male colleagues. This situation was very degrading, it was a result of the stagnation and anachronism that prevailed in the organization, it was manifested in gender stereotypes and created inequalities and discrimination between people, but also problems in the broader concept of the purpose of the Prisons, which is the correction and reformation of people so that they can reintegrate more smoothly into free society. The result of this situation was the impoverishment of the dignity of the people residing and working in the institution, serious violations of basic human rights, corruption scandals, riots, and the collapse of the whole edifice of the then punitive model that ended with 6 suicides of people in less than a year.
Our belief that all people are equal - which is one of the five values of our Department - has always kept our horizons open, which has never allowed gender or any other different characteristic to determine any decision, shape policy, determine procedure or practice in our Department.
Consistency in our values, which generally promote respect for human dignity and diversity by rejecting any kind of discrimination, has made us creative, applying innovative ways of management in the Prison such as the learning organization, work-life balance, the Good Lives Model, and the Helix Organisation that had not been previously implemented in any Prison, a matter for which we were ranked in the top three public sector agencies out of all public agencies in the CoE countries in the European Public Sector Awards for the category of Innovative Leadership. We also define procedures that promote respect for human dignity, and are recognised by the CoE countries as best practices, which are documented in CoE publications and scientific articles, breaking down stereotypes related to gender, incarcerated people, the philosophy of Prisons and the way they are run in general.
The success of our prison service outside the borders - at European and international level - is reflected in the positive development of people, in the low recidivism rate which does not exceed 15%, having one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world in the last 8 years, whereas previously it was over 50%. We also have one of the lowest rates of self-harm, suicide and domestic violence, even during COVID when the rate of domestic violence in the free society had increased by 40%, while in the Prisons we did not have a single episode of violence. Further, we have the same education system as the country's and record the highest rate of prisoner participation in education among the CoE countries, with our education system being awarded as best practice in Rome in 2017 and in The Hague in 2018.
I could list a number of other positive results, but due to time constraints I will end with this. Success in leadership positions has nothing to do with gender. It's about the lenses you look at the world and success, it's about your determination to improve yourself and surpass yourself, always looking for the best version of yourself. This is the only way the impossible becomes achievable for all people, regardless of gender, however sometimes you need to put in more effort to achieve it. Several women have served and continue to serve in usually male-dominated positions with great success. The point is for every woman to believe in herself and her potential, ignoring outdated perceptions and stereotypes that will keep her stagnant, opening her horizons. Important elements of success are professionalism, the philosophy you apply in an organisation promoting respect for human value and diversity, your actions being consistent with the values of the organisation you have set, your skills being consistent with the position you hold, and applying management methods based on the principles of meritocracy, fair and impartial treatment of people.
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