Expanding Women’s Participation in Maritime Security
Cecillia Dyah Afsari is a policy technical reviewer at Badan Keamanan Laut (Maritime Security Agency or Bakamla RI). With more than ten years of experience in maritime and port transportation, as well as human resource management, she has a strong understanding of the barriers affecting women’s participation in Indonesia’s maritime security sector.
In 2023, Cecillia participated in the Kartini Series training organised by the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Cooperation (JCLEC), where she met Dr Jess Murphy, an adjunct lecturer at Torrens University Australia. Discussions about confidence, leadership and gender roles encouraged Cecillia to reconsider the limited operational opportunities available to women in Bakamla RI. As a result she applied for the Short Course on “Women in Leadership in the Security Sector” at Deakin University in 2024. The short course helped Cecillia move from identifying a problem to developing a practical, institutionally supported response. Through discussions with Australian lecturers and facilitators, she refined her award project concept, considered organisational readiness and gender norms, and developed strategies for communicating the proposal to Indonesian decision-makers.
The Award Project
Cecillia’s Award Project idea emerged from an experience during a United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)-led Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) training in Batam in 2023. Malaysia and the Philippines included female officers in operational exercises, while Indonesia did not. When the Philippine Coast Guard required additional personnel for a practical session, Cecillia volunteered to participate demonstrating that Indonesian women were capable of performing the tasks.
During the Deakin short course, Cecillia developed the idea of establishing a female-inclusive VBSS training pathway for Indonesian maritime officers. She worked with two fellow participants: a UNODC resource person with technical expertise and a representative from Indonesia’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs. Their complementary perspectives helped ensure that the proposal was both technically credible and aligned with government priorities.
The team proposed organising Indonesia’s first female-only VBSS training in partnership with UNODC and regional maritime agencies. The project addressed a practical operational need. Female officers are required in cases involving female suspects and victims, including investigations related to human trafficking and narcotics smuggling.
Implementation and results
After returning to Indonesia, Cecillia and her colleagues presented the proposal to Bakamla leadership. The project was implemented in Batam in May 2025, with participation from Bakamla, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Philippine Coast Guard.
The two-week program covered boarding techniques, maritime pursuit, vessel search procedures, safety drills and operational discipline. Cecillia served as a supervisor and mentor. Many participants had previously worked mainly in back-office roles and had never taken part in field operations. Through the training, they gained confidence in boarding fast boats, searching vessels and undertaking other technical activities. The training also generated evidence that women could successfully perform high-risk maritime security tasks.
Implementation was strengthened by the professional network Cecillia developed with other short course participants, particularly the UNODC resource person and the representative from the coordinating ministry. Their collaboration continued beyond the classroom through the design, advocacy and implementation of the training.
Cecillia is now working to ensure inclusion of women in mixed VBSS sessions, operational exercises and international training while pursuing a Master’s in Maritime Security at Universitas Pertahanan.
