The UN’s 1st All-Female Unit Keeps the Peace in Liberia
Among the many scandals that have rocked the United Nations over the last several years, none has been more damaging to its reputation and mission than accusations of rape and sexual abuse by UN Peacekeepers.
Refugees - most notably in The Democratic Republic of Congo - have been terrorized by the very men who were sent to protect them. According to The Christian Science Monitor, 319 peacekeepers worldwide have been investigated for abuse in the past three years. Of those, 179 were repatriated or dismissed, however the UN has no power to prosecute the troops. That can only be done by the contributing country.
The UN hopes to counter some of these problems with the deployment of its first all-female peace keeping unit in Liberia.
The 103 Indian women who have called this compound home since January make up the United Nations’ first-ever all-female peacekeeping unit. The women have quickly become part of Monrovia’s urban landscape in their distinctive blue camouflage fatigues and flak jackets. They guard the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, patrol the streets day and night, control crowds at rallies and soccer games, and respond to calls for armed back-up from the national police who, unlike the Indian unit, do not carry weapons.
Liberian government also hopes the sight of women in these roles will also increase the number of female applicants to Liberia’s own police force, which has a problem recruiting women. Despite boasting Africa’s first female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and women at the helm of the Justice, Home Affairs and Domestic Police departments women’s rights and sexual equality are still a concern in Liberia where rape is the most widely reported serious crime.
