Voice 1 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Voice 2 And I'm Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 3 “It was a very long flight from India. And from what I heard on the news about the war in Liberia, I was afraid to come. I did not know how people would receive us. But it was good. The Liberian people were expecting us and received us with open arms.” Voice 1 These are the words of Poonam Gupta, as told to the United Nations. Ms. Gupta is part of a unit, or team, of women peace-keepers from India. They have travelled to Liberia. They are part of the UN's work to encourage the women there. Today's Spotlight is on this group of Indian women peace-keepers. They are an example for the women of Liberia. But they are also an example to women - and men - around the world.
Voice 2 The recent history of Liberia has been troubled. In 1989, a civil war began there. Liberians, other African nations and the UN all worked to support peace in the area. But war continued in Liberia until 2003 - for almost fifteen years. The results of the war were terrible. During that time, experts estimate that over two hundred thousand [200,000] people died. Hundreds of thousands more became refugees. Police forces could not deal with all of the crimes committed.
Voice 1 Many conflict experts also point to the bad results of the war on women. Rape is an especially big problem. When a person forces a woman to have sex, it is rape. During the Liberian civil wars both sides of the conflict used rape as a weapon. It was a way to control people and make them extremely afraid. And it is still present in the minds of the women who live and work there. News organization CNN wrote about a government report from 2006. 92 percent of the women in the study reported some kind of sexual abuse, including rape. And the UN claims that even today the most reported crime in Liberia is rape.
Voice 2 Rape is always a terrible crime. But rape as a weapon of war can be brutal - it is especially violent. Women suffer rapes from the men around them. But in some cases, they also suffer rape from male peace-keepers who are there to help them. They may feel that they have to trade their bodies, or sex, to get food or medicine.
Voice 1 The UN could see that the experience for women in conflict areas was different than men's. Amnesty International has also studied this fact. They say that after the wars, many Liberian women did not have medical care. They had lost their husbands or were abandoned. And they often had great responsibilities, but few resources.
Voice 2 So, in 2000, the UN passed a resolution. They promised to change the way that they encourage peace in a community. They would do this by increasing the number of WOMEN in its peace-keeping forces.
Voice 1 In January 2007, India helped the UN mission in Liberia to achieve this goal. With the UN's support, India sent a team of women peace-keepers to Liberia. Since that time, other units from India have also arrived as replacements for women whose term is done. These women hoped to change the lives of people living in Liberia - especially women's lives! Voice 2 The Indian women peace-keepers were all experienced police officers. They are all professionally trained. They have experience with guns. They are also trained to deal with large angry groups of people. They came from many different areas of India. Many are mothers and wives - they have families of their own. But they understand how important their work is.
Voice 1 The BBC told about a few of the women. Seema Dhundiya is 39. She has worked for one of India's special police forces since 1997. Kumari Ranjana is only 21. She has worked in very difficult areas of India. But both women WANTED to travel to Liberia. They believed they would make a difference.
Voice 2 And the Indian peace-keepers ARE making a difference. Poonam Gupta was a member of the Indian peace-keeping unit. She described one reason why she thought women were so important in this way.
Voice 3 “In post conflict zones, the most affected are children and women. When the peace-keeper is a woman herself, she understands them more. And they feel more secure talking to her.” Voice 1 Sometimes, this is all the women peace-keepers needed to do. They only needed to listen to the problems of the Liberian women. But they did MUCH more as well! The Indian peace-keepers also organized classes and events for the women of Liberia. They taught the women how to defend themselves against attacks - including sexual abuse and rape. The Indian peace-keepers also helped the Liberian women develop other valuable skills.
Voice 2 But the strongest message of the Indian peace-keeping unit was a simple one. They said “You can trust us. And you can do anything a man can do. Even better.” This was an effective message for the women of Liberia. It was also a message for the men. They saw women in positions of power. The men saw that women are not helpless.
Voice 1 One of the goals of the Indian peace-keepers was to encourage Liberian women to become part of the Liberian police force. The President of Liberia is Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. She has set a goal for the Liberian police force. She would like at least 20 percent of the police to be female. When the Indian peace-keepers arrived in Liberia in 2007, only five percent of the police force was female. But currently, more and more Liberian women are joining the Liberian police force!
Voice 2 The Indian peace-keeping women are setting a wonderful example for the women of Liberia. But they are also an example for women and men around the world - especially to countries that have experienced war. Ellen Margrethe Løj is the head of the UN Mission in Liberia. In 2008 Ms. Løj gave special awards to the women in the peace-keeping unit. At that ceremony she told the peace-keepers: Voice 4 “You have made a real difference, not only to us in UN Mission in Liberia, but to many Liberians - especially women and girls. Your presence in Liberia has demonstrated something important. Women have an important part in establishing the rule of law. This is especially true in countries that have experienced conflict. You greatly help the healing that is needed by all Liberians recovering from civil war. You have shown that women do not need to be victims. They can be healers and protectors in the new Liberia.” Voice 2 The writer and producer of this program was Liz Waid. All quotes have been adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users can hear more Spotlight programs on our website at http://www.radio.english.net. This program is called “Peace-Keeping Women.” Voice 1 Send your comments or questions to us at radio @ english . net. Goodbye!
