After our class discussion with Maria about Haiti, I was very disturbed about the rapes and violence in the camps in Haiti. Someone in class mentioned helping the women by teaching them basic self-defense. I feel this is a great solution. Perhaps some all female Peace Keeping units could help.
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=53268
This article outlines the impact an all female peace keeping group from India has had on a school outside the capital in Liberia. “According to Jickson Sargeor, the principal of Victory Chapel School, the Indian peacekeeping contingent provides the children with medication, lessons on using computers and Indian dance and self defense.” The article explains that since the Peace Keepers have come, many more women have joined armed forces within the country.
In other class discussions, we have talked about the local impact of sending in military or peace keepers to a region for fear of increased rapes, abuse and other issues. Could an increased number of all female units be a solution?
The all female Peace Keeping unit in Liberia has had a huge impact on the young women in the community. “In Congo Town, at the Victory Chapel School, there is a feeling that the next generation of Liberians are growing up with the view that women can do anything and everything men can do.”
What an uplifting, empowering story/post! Liberia has a history of highly motivated female activists, namely those responsible for forcing peace talks between a rebel group and then-president Charles Taylor, eventually culminating in Taylor's ouster and the election of Liberia's first female president. Here is the trailer to a documentary about their struggle---
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uon9CcoHgwA
Teaching self-defense to women is an interesting way of both empowering them and building comaraderie, which can be used to resist sexism and violence gainst women. All-female units can only help the situation in Haiti, as long as they are positioned for self-defense or peacekeeping purposes. I feel discomforted by the idea of anyone being encouraged to take up arms, though I understand the need. It seems to me that instead of maintaining defensive strategies, the armed forces are frequently used to oppress already oppressed groups, therefore women (and anyone in the military)can potentially shift from the oppressed to the oppressor.