The UN began its emphasis on female recruitment in 2000, with Resolution 1325. This October will mark its tenth anniversary. Before the resolution, women as a topic did not receive much attention in post-conflict zones.

Now, nearly half of the 21,000 civilian officers are women. Women compose 8% of police officers, 2.5% military troops, and 4% of military experts. But as the position’s rank increases, the percentage of women tends to decrease.

Female peacekeepers, in addition to offering a different perspective, offer inspiration in countries where women are subjugated. The 105 women sent from India inspired the women of Liberia to triple their national police force enrollment in just two months. Women also offer sexual victims a more comfortable outlet to discuss their trauma. And because sexual crimes are better reported when women serve in the area, they also allow for more accurate collection of information.

Commonly cited reasons for low female enrollment are self-limits and UN procedures themselves. At the ‘Where are the Women Peacekeepers?’ panel held by the United States Institute of Peace, Acting Director of USIP’s Rule of Law Program Colette Rausch notes that some UN agencies do not allow families to accompany a peacekeeper. And while some agencies do allow this, most people find the practice foolish and dangerous. Rausch argues that we should admire the strength of a family that chooses to travel, dedicated to preserving peace, in which the child has opportunities most do not have.

She also advocated greater transparency in the application process. She cites an instance in which she was denied a position, and later found out that the person in charge was more comfortable with hiring a man. She had an informant, but women who are denied would never find out, and only perpetuate the belief that they are not qualified for the positions.

Lynn Holland, the United States’ first female peacekeeper, joined a group to train Haiti’s women to become police officers in1994. She saw an NBC news report, and decided to go.

One peacekeeper from China recently dug out five survivors of the Haitian earthquake with her bare hands.

Margaret Nobiki, Chief of the Communications Campaign Service in the UN Department of Public Information and former spokeswoman of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone, has expressed her esteem for women in the peace force. “I know that women can make a huge difference in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building because I’ve seen it and I’ve been part of it,” she said. “I strongly encourage all women to participate in peacekeeping. It will empower you and those you serve and, who knows, it just might change the world.”

http://www.unausa.org/worldbulletin/012010/haglund

http://www.peacewomen.org/resources/Peacekeeping/peacekeepingindex.html

http://www.un.org/Pubs/chronicle/2006/issue1/0106p06.htm

http://www.peacewomen.org/un/pkwatch/News/08/womenpeacekeepers.html

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/02/un-women-peacekeeper-dear_n_210493.html

http://www.unausa.org/Page.aspx?pid=1303

http://www.usip.org/events/where-are-the-women-peacekeepers

http://www.usip.org/files/Event20090715Women.mp3

http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/71122.html

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-01/18/content_9332990.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U32Y_APNwQ

http://www.washdiplomat.com/October%202009/a5_10_09b.html

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