PRANITA MALAYSIA DI LEBANON

 Women peacekeepers in challenging jobs

Among UNIFIL’s 12,000 soldiers there are many women in uniform, performing jobs traditionally portrayed as man’s profession. There is the construction helper , the fire-fighter, the doctor and the member of the Close Protection Team, to name a few. The UN encourages women’s equal participation and full involvement in all efforts for the maintenance and promotion of peace and security as called for also by the Security Council

resolution 1325.

On 11 January 2012, the first women-only medal presentation ceremony was held in UNIFIL when 11 women peacekeepers of the Malaysian contingent were honoured. Colonel Badrul Hisham Bin Muhammed, Commander of the UNIFIL Malaysian contingent, praised the peacekeepers’ work. At the ceremony held in the southern Lebanese town of Kawkaba, he noted that the female peacekeepers had been well accepted by the Lebanese in the south and had made vital contribution to the Mission.

“I am proud of their contribution to the community and hope we will increase the participation of female peacekeepers in

future,” he said.

The 11 peacekeepers, including two officers, are the first group of  female soldiers from Malaysia to serve in UNIFIL for six months. Their tour of duty ended 26 January. Corporal Nadia Leboy expressed her deep gratitude for the honour. As a member of the medical team that had been organising medical camps, she said her work gave her an opportunity to interact with the Lebanese people and learn about their traditions and way of life. “I feel so proud to have received the [United Nations] medal,” she said. “I am honoured to be among the chosen few female peacekeepers to serve in this Mission."

In many contingents of UNIFIL there are women peacekeepers. At UNIFIL’s aviation unit at Headquarters in Naqoura, Italian Army Corporal Maila Squillace has her own story to tell. Her job is not only about fire-extinguishing, but first and foremost about rescuing people.

“It is difficult for a woman to carry a man who weighs 80 or 90 kilos to rescue him from a dangerous area. I don’t complain: in all lines of work there are pleasant and unpleasant aspects, not only in the army. The important thing is to be passionate about what you are doing.” UNIFIL is Maila’s first mission abroad.

She says she likes its multinational nature. “Italians, Indonesians, Danish, French, Spanish… One thing I will miss is exchanging words and smiles with people from different countries, cultures, religions… We are all far away from home. And we are all here for the same purpose – to maintain peace on the Lebanese soil. This is something common between us.

“ Another woman peacekeeper is Dr. Ipsita, from the Indian battalion in the eastern sector of UNIFIL. “As a doctor the most important thing for me is to save a life and that is what gives me maximum satisfaction,” she said. One case she remembers particularly

well. “At the middle of the night a young (local) man was brought… bitten by a snake… I’m glad that we were able to identify the poison and gave anti-venom required. Hence a life of a 20-year old man was saved.”

Other women peacekeepers perform even more challenging duties. Sabina Guimaraes, a soldier from the Portuguese Engineer Unit based at Shama in UNIFIL Sector West headquarters, works as a truck driver and at construction sites. Some solace and reward for her tough job comes from the fact that the work she and other peacekeepers of the Portuguese Engineer Unit are doing contributes to stability in south Lebanon and brings benefit to the local people.

“It is a pleasure that we are helping this country through renovation of public schools or improving playgrounds for children. We are happy to build… to let the Lebanese forget the war, and remember us.”