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Maj Jameela Yasmeen recounts her experiences during her stint in MONUSCO
Female peacekeepers play a vital role in the overall performance of UN peacekeeping missions as they have more access to communities, help in the promotion of human rights and encourage women to participate in the conflict zones’ peace and political processes. When I found out that I was to be deployed in United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), I was confident and hopeful that the deployment will be the harbinger of influence my life. Before actual deployment, I underwent peacekeeping training as Military Gender Advisor in Centre of International Peace and Stability (CIPS) at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and it helped me a lot on the mission. There was a lot of skepticism and uncertainty regarding the date of departure vis-a-vis COVID-19 scenario, the duration of engagement, vicarious home front worries, prospect of exposure to foreign culture and language, doubts about adequacy of preparations for the unaccustomed operations, etc.
Nevertheless, this has not been as easy journey for most Pakistani female peacekeepers like me. But positive post-UN mission, serving in own country with our male comrades and hailing from the same social fabric within accustomed social boundaries seems less challenging. I felt intimidated at going far away from home into new communities and living up to the high benchmarks already set by the Pakistan Army in UN peacekeeping operations.
Along with that I had also to assimilate to the norms of international working environment and efficaciously perform my duty being the flag bearer of our own social and cultural norms. Undoubtedly, being a woman, it demands great courage to leave behind close familial relationships in the line of duty for a time period of one year. Yet the strength imbued by our training, and professional resolve keeps us strong and united under one flag with the sole motto of keeping the flag of Pakistan high in the international community. It will also not be unjustified to claim that serving in such a diversified and multi-ethnic working environment has enriched our competence that will go a long way in enhancing our professional outlook. My experience as a peacekeeper has reaffirmed my belief that a nation becomes irrelevant if its people turn a blind eye to the tenets of unity, faith and discipline. Nations that disregard and neglect the strengthening of their armed forces have to ultimately rely on external powers merely for the establishment of peace in their own home turf.
As far as peacekeeping is concerned, it stirred up ambivalent feelings in me. While patrolling on high risk routes, I witnessed how hard working African men and women are willing to go an extra mile to feed their children. It always brought a sense of fulfillment in helping people in need, and contributing to the good of others. The experience of working with multinational forces, exposure to new equipment, experiencing a sense of achievement working in a foreign culture, etc., lead to the honing of my skills and conjured up feelings of competence in my role as a military person.
Peacekeeping operations are undertaken in chaotic and hostile situations. Witnessing the sufferings due to starvation, malnutrition and disease on extensive scale amongst the locals, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees can be quite traumatic. Right now, UN peacekeepers are extending the hard-fought wins in peacekeeping operations across the globe — whether that means building new roads, protecting healthcare workers as they contain the spread of viral diseases, or helping farmers in farmlands where little has flourished in the past few years except extremism and fear. A farm woman I met in Bijombo (a village located in southern Kivu province) was involved in toiling in the fields in spite of the danger and adversities being faced by her. It was like she was planting seeds of hope and wanted to see peace take hold there.
I have always seen Congolese looking up to the peacekeepers as beacons of hope and stability. These “Blue Helmets,” as they are often referred to, hail from nations, large and small, rich and poor, all striving hard for the humanitarian obligation that the lives of forgotten and vulnerable matter. My experiences have taught me that peace is much more than just the absence of violence and it rests on a number of principles, e.g., social cohesion, trustworthy government, reliable infrastructure, etc.
Serving as a Military Gender Advisor, I was the focal point of all Female Engagement Team (FET) activities conducted in various parts of the Southern sector. Focus of these activities revolved around building greater trust within the local community through interaction with the female population and understanding their problems. The FET’s interactions with the local female population during patrols improved information-gathering, especially with respect to women and children, that helped greatly in effectively assessing the security situation and identification of need for quick-impact projects. The FET’s goals also included providing psychological support to local women as they grapple with conflict-related violence (CRV), including sexual abuse and the resultant depression and stress, delivering awareness sessions for women regarding health, female empowerment, self-protection against violence, and child abuse among other issues, providing vocational training such as sowing, embroidery, first aid, computer skills, which enable women to become effective contributing members of the community. I worked hard upon the augmentation of the local women’s engagement at grassroots level that would assist the contingent commander to develop all-encompassing understanding about this relatively neglected but extremely needy segment of the population.
I am proud and honored to have served in the MONUSCO peacekeeping operation, knowing that we served as a symbol of peace for the vulnerable populations in conflict-ridden zones. Embracing all the difficulties and tribulations during the mission was definitely worth it for me because it felt good knowing that I actively contributed to upholding peace and helped those in dire need.
www.hilal.gov.pk
Female peacekeepers play a vital role in the overall performance of UN peacekeeping missions as they have more access to communities, help in the promotion of human rights and encourage women to participate in the conflict zones’ peace and political processes. When I found out that I was to be deployed in United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), I was confident and hopeful that the deployment will be the harbinger of influence my life. Before actual deployment, I underwent peacekeeping training as Military Gender Advisor in Centre of International Peace and Stability (CIPS) at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) and it helped me a lot on the mission. There was a lot of skepticism and uncertainty regarding the date of departure vis-a-vis COVID-19 scenario, the duration of engagement, vicarious home front worries, prospect of exposure to foreign culture and language, doubts about adequacy of preparations for the unaccustomed operations, etc.
Nevertheless, this has not been as easy journey for most Pakistani female peacekeepers like me. But positive post-UN mission, serving in own country with our male comrades and hailing from the same social fabric within accustomed social boundaries seems less challenging. I felt intimidated at going far away from home into new communities and living up to the high benchmarks already set by the Pakistan Army in UN peacekeeping operations.
Along with that I had also to assimilate to the norms of international working environment and efficaciously perform my duty being the flag bearer of our own social and cultural norms. Undoubtedly, being a woman, it demands great courage to leave behind close familial relationships in the line of duty for a time period of one year. Yet the strength imbued by our training, and professional resolve keeps us strong and united under one flag with the sole motto of keeping the flag of Pakistan high in the international community. It will also not be unjustified to claim that serving in such a diversified and multi-ethnic working environment has enriched our competence that will go a long way in enhancing our professional outlook. My experience as a peacekeeper has reaffirmed my belief that a nation becomes irrelevant if its people turn a blind eye to the tenets of unity, faith and discipline. Nations that disregard and neglect the strengthening of their armed forces have to ultimately rely on external powers merely for the establishment of peace in their own home turf.
As far as peacekeeping is concerned, it stirred up ambivalent feelings in me. While patrolling on high risk routes, I witnessed how hard working African men and women are willing to go an extra mile to feed their children. It always brought a sense of fulfillment in helping people in need, and contributing to the good of others. The experience of working with multinational forces, exposure to new equipment, experiencing a sense of achievement working in a foreign culture, etc., lead to the honing of my skills and conjured up feelings of competence in my role as a military person.
Peacekeeping operations are undertaken in chaotic and hostile situations. Witnessing the sufferings due to starvation, malnutrition and disease on extensive scale amongst the locals, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and refugees can be quite traumatic. Right now, UN peacekeepers are extending the hard-fought wins in peacekeeping operations across the globe — whether that means building new roads, protecting healthcare workers as they contain the spread of viral diseases, or helping farmers in farmlands where little has flourished in the past few years except extremism and fear. A farm woman I met in Bijombo (a village located in southern Kivu province) was involved in toiling in the fields in spite of the danger and adversities being faced by her. It was like she was planting seeds of hope and wanted to see peace take hold there.
I have always seen Congolese looking up to the peacekeepers as beacons of hope and stability. These “Blue Helmets,” as they are often referred to, hail from nations, large and small, rich and poor, all striving hard for the humanitarian obligation that the lives of forgotten and vulnerable matter. My experiences have taught me that peace is much more than just the absence of violence and it rests on a number of principles, e.g., social cohesion, trustworthy government, reliable infrastructure, etc.
Serving as a Military Gender Advisor, I was the focal point of all Female Engagement Team (FET) activities conducted in various parts of the Southern sector. Focus of these activities revolved around building greater trust within the local community through interaction with the female population and understanding their problems. The FET’s interactions with the local female population during patrols improved information-gathering, especially with respect to women and children, that helped greatly in effectively assessing the security situation and identification of need for quick-impact projects. The FET’s goals also included providing psychological support to local women as they grapple with conflict-related violence (CRV), including sexual abuse and the resultant depression and stress, delivering awareness sessions for women regarding health, female empowerment, self-protection against violence, and child abuse among other issues, providing vocational training such as sowing, embroidery, first aid, computer skills, which enable women to become effective contributing members of the community. I worked hard upon the augmentation of the local women’s engagement at grassroots level that would assist the contingent commander to develop all-encompassing understanding about this relatively neglected but extremely needy segment of the population.
I am proud and honored to have served in the MONUSCO peacekeeping operation, knowing that we served as a symbol of peace for the vulnerable populations in conflict-ridden zones. Embracing all the difficulties and tribulations during the mission was definitely worth it for me because it felt good knowing that I actively contributed to upholding peace and helped those in dire need.
How Peacekeeping Changed My Life
Maj Jameela Yasmeen recounts her experiences during her stint in MONUSCO Female peacekeepers play a vital role in the overall performance of UN peacekeeping missions as they have more access to communities, help in the promotion of human rights and encourage women to participate in the...
