Maritime security strategies from a Gender Perspective: Implications for United Nations SDG 5 implementation

• Published in: WMU journal of maritime affairs Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 537 - 555
• Main Author: Lirola-Delgado, Isabel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Empowerment; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Exploitation; Gender; Instruments; International organizations; Law; Law and Criminolgy; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Maritime security; Offshore Engineering; Organizations; Policies; Public International Law; Security; Strategy; Sustainable Development Goals; Violence; Women; SDG5; Gender; European Union; Maritime security strategy; Spain
• ISSN: 1651-436X; 1654-1642
• DOI: 10.1007/s13437-019-00175-x

Maritime security strategies and their associated action plans are instruments that guide the policies and directives of states and international organizations in the maritime sector. This directly impacts the empowerment of women and how the discriminations they are subject to, including violence and exploitation, are addressed. However, a gender perspective of such instruments has not yet been used to analyse these policies. Within this context, this paper looks at the Spanish National Maritime Security Strategy and the European Union Maritime Security Strategy from a gender perspective as a case study. Both are examined from a three-pronged approach that aims to determine the implications for the implementation of SDG 5.1, 5.2 and 5 C. The first analysis concentrates on their texts and action plans. Since both are sectoral strategies focused specifically on maritime security, but interplay with security strategies of a more generalized scope, the relationship with the Spanish National Security Strategy and the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy is also assessed. Furthermore, the gender dimension of additional maritime security strategies is considered within the European Union and other regional areas in order to have a comparative vision. This work concludes by offering a means of incorporating or improving a gendered perspective in future versions of the Spanish and European maritime security strategies, which can also be applied across different maritime security strategies worldwide.