Captain Shiva, peacekeepers to Sudan break gender barriers

The New Year bodes well for gender parity in the armed forces as it began with two historic developments. Captain Shiva Chauhan from the Corps of Engineers became the first woman officer to be operationally posted at the challenging frontline post of the Siachen Glacier. Proving the naysayers wrong, she has showed that unflinching commitment towards a goal is the key to mastering the arduous physical training needed to qualify for deployment on the world’s highest battlefield. To best serve in the 20,000-ft-high zone, the soldiers, irrespective of their gender, have to ace endurance and survival drills and learn ice wall climbing and avalanche and crevasse rescue operations, besides battling frostbite and chilly winds to come up trumps. Captain Shiva’s feat has paved the way for other women to follow suit.

Then, before the first week of 2023 ended, came the proud moment for India as it sent the largest-ever all-woman platoon (comprising two officers and 25 soldiers of varying ranks) to the UN’s peacekeeping force for deployment in the hostile Abyei area on the Sudan-South Sudan border. Female soldiers are known to be better at engaging with women and children who suffer in conflict situations. Their roles during the humanitarian crisis include conducting patrols and dialogue with locals, information-gathering and perception management. These jobs are critical components of the peacekeeping process.

The appointment of the first woman — Major Gen Kristin Lund of Norway — as Force Commander in a UN peacekeeping operation (in Cyprus) in 2014 was a watershed moment, acknowledging the shift to engaging more women in these hitherto male-dominated areas. Her performance in various top positions of duty has repeatedly affirmed that women are exceptional in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, negotiations, peacekeeping, humanitarian responses and post-conflict reconstruction, peace and security. Major Gen Lund is an inspiration for female soldiers. Before her, the courageous women stars of the Israeli army, who broke major gender ceilings, have kept the flag flying high. But despite all the strides, some gender barriers remain to be overcome by women warriors, particularly in combat roles.