Participation Of Women In UN Peacekeeping Operations
Participation Of Women In UN Peacekeeping Operations
Author(s): Gorana OdanovićSubject(s): Gender Studies
Published by: BCBP Beogradski centar za bezbednosnu politiku
Keywords: UN Peacekeeping operations; women; security; UNSC Resolution 1325
Summary/Abstract: Participation of women in the UN peacekeeping operations, as one of necessary preconditions for their effective and successful implementation, has become more widely accepted only during the past ten years. Although women’s contribution in the peacekeeping operations is multifaceted (the level of security among the local women increases, the trust of the local community in the mission grows, the contact with the female population is easier to establish, etc.), the percentage of women who participate in these operations is at the low level, especially when it comes to police and military troops. The greatest obstacles to higher involvement of women in peacekeeping operations are in the fact that there are very few women in police and military units in the states which participate in the UN peacekeeping operations, but also in gender discrimination based on prejudice and stereotypes that women do not have required psychological and physical abilities to perform successfully in the peacekeeping operations. These are, at the same time, the reasons why so few women are involved in the UN peacekeeping operations in which the Serbian police and military units are participating.
Journal: Western Balkans Security Observer - English Edition
- Issue Year: 2010
- Issue No: 16
- Page Range: 70-79
- Page Count: 10
- Language: English