“There are no obstacles for women to join the peacekeeping military forces – any challenges can be faced by women.” These are the words of Captain Caroline Obame, from Cameroon, who works in the Ituri brigade team site as a UN military peacekeeper. Captain Obame’s role involves regular patrols and intelligence gathering, whereby she comes in regular contact with the local population.  For her there is a clear role for women in the military forces, especially in dealing with women in post-conflict areas. “The Congolese women we meet are often hesitant to speak to outsiders. When they meet female patrolling officers, even if they are still uncertain, they will be more likely to speak. I have spoken to victims of sexual violence and there is still a lot of stigma they face from their husbands and in their communities.”

Captain Obame is part of the 2.2% of women who make up the MONUSCO military peacekeeping forces. In a country with a majority female population (women make up 52% of the Congolese population) this is an alarming statistic. The impact of conflict and poverty on women - with the majority of displaced people being women and children, armed forces using sexual violence as a weapon of war and 61.2% of women in the DRC living below the poverty line – shows that the country will not reach its aims of peace, security and development without addressing women’s needs.

The MONUSCO Office of Gender Affairs has completed a series of workshops across the country to sensitise the Police Nationale Congolaise (PNC) on the integration of gender issues in their role of protecting civilians.

The workshops took place in Kananga, Lubumbashi, Kindu, Matadi, Mbandaka, Bandundu, Mbuji Mayi and Kinshasa. Each workshop culminated in participants producing concrete recommendations towards integrating gender concerns into the job specifications for a Police Officer/Sub Officer, including measures such as increased training opportunities for female police officers and more effective methodologies for gender-sensitive implementation of law.

Nearly 800 officers and sub-officers of the PNC took part in the workshops across the country and the MONUSCO Office of Gender Affairs, in collaboration with UNPOL and civil society partners, is now planning to disseminate the workshops at more local levels across the provinces to build capacities of the PNC and address gender imbalances and concerns within the force and in their duties towards the protection of women and girls in particular.

To commemorate International Women’s Day 2012, the Ministry of Gender, Family and Children have collaborated with the United Nations System to present the Women’s Entrepreneurial Fair in Kinshasa, held due to its popularity for a fourth consecutive year.

The MONUSCO Office of Gender Affairs has launched a series of projects aimed to improve security and participation of women and girls in the DRC during the electoral process.