Some pleasant news about gender

After all the horrible, depressing things we've studied and read about gender this quarter, I am pleased to share some pleasant news about a positive international developments in gender from Africa.

The article below tells us how, in 2007, the Liberian capital of Monrovia received a UN police force deployed from India. In addition to patrolling the city in the classic UN blue uniforms and helmets, the soldiers provide children with medication, as well as lessons in computer use, self-defense, and Indian dance. And these peacekeeping soldiers all happen to be women.

The contingent of female peacekeepers was deployed in response to the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, which was passed by a unanimous vote in the Council October 31, 2000. The resolution was aimed at giving gender considerations a more important role in security and reconstruction in war-torn areas. The thought is that by including women in security, it will be harder for men to get away with perpetrating the mass rapes and other violence against women that has become characteristic of conflicts in the region. But it also has the effect of giving women and girls positive, visible role models and helping them feel empowered to take on more leading roles in society. The principal of a local school is quoted as saying, "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."

That’s awesome. I think this is a fantastic template for improving the conditions of women in unstable areas. It seems almost obvious that integrating women into the military or peacekeeping forces would reduce the instances of violence against women. It’s amazing to me that no one else tried this sooner. It has all kinds of implications for women's roles in developing societies and suggest a kind of paradigm shift might be in the cards.

What do you think about this? Would an all-woman peacekeeping force do a better job than an all male force? What challenges might such a force face, especially from men in the communities? This also relates back to the article about gender in the Israeli army, so we can also ask: Should women they be allowed to serve in combat roles? Why or why not?

India's Female Peacekeepers Inspire Liberian Girls

Wikipedia Article on UN Security Council Resolution 1325

The actual UN Resolution