Pick Me For Peacekeeping

Pick me a woman
I have unique and substantive contributions to make
improving peacekeeping operations
I can access populations and venues closed to men
improving intelligence about potential security risks

As a woman
I am better able to screen women during searches
helping to close security loopholes

My presence
a female officer improves access to community members
amplifying situational awareness 
and helping military commanders fulfill their mandates
including the protection of civilians

As a woman I can participate in security forces
improving dispute resolution

As a female police officer I am less likely 
than my male counterparts to use excessive force 
and far more likely to de-escalate tensions 
building trust with communities
advancing stability and the rule of law

When I am there keeping the peace
the are fewer misconduct complaints
and improved citizen perceptions of force integrity

In Namibia, Rwanda, and South Africa the local populations perceived me
a female police peacekeeper to be more effective at de-escalating potential violence
less threatening and more receptive to civilians

Greater gender parity in peacekeeping forces also reduces 
the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse
and crimes that weaken local and international support 
for multilateral peacekeeping operations 
critical to U.S. and global security

My presence visible as a peacekeeper in the community
empowers women and girls in host communities 
and can raise women’s participation rates in local police and military forces
improving the capacity of national forces 
to take over security responsibilities

In Liberia observers attributed an increase in women’s participation in the national security sector
from 6 percent to 17 percent over nine years
to the example set by all-female police units deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping mission

A Found Poem by Kimberly Burnham [For more information].