Brazilian Army wants to increase the number of women in the force

The Army is increasing the participation of Brazilian military women who serve in UN peacekeeping missions around the world. Today they operate mainly in African countries, such as Western Sahara, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic. In parallel, the Army and the Ministry of Defense are studying starting female participation in initial military service in Brazil, which currently recruits only men.

“It is a source of pride to have seen from 2018 to 2024, in a short space of time, an increase in female personnel in the Brazilian Army from 8 thousand to 13 thousand soldiers”, said the Army commander, General Tomás Paiva, during the “Peacekeepers” seminar Brazilian women: highlights from Brazil in implementing the agenda on women, peace and security”, organized by the Army and the Brazilian Network of Peace Operations in Brazil (REBRAPAZ) on Thursday (21) in Brasília.

Today Brazil has 10 Brazilian soldiers on individual peacekeeping missions around the world. As the country does not participate with large numbers of troops in combat missions, as occurred in Haiti between 2004 and 2017, the total number of Brazilian military and police officers serving in missions is no more than 90. The idea is to increase female participation, even in addition to the minimum established by the UN, which Brazil already complies with. In this sense, at least two more women are already being assigned to new international missions.

“Through better placement of these women, as active agents of the peace operation, we also want to improve the position of one of the most vulnerable groups in the conflict area, which is the group of women and girls. They are oppressed in conflict area. They are often subjected to all types of violence, not just sexual violence”, said General André Luís Novaes Miranda, commander of the Army’s Land Operations Command.

Furthermore, according to Novaes, the presence of women in UN military teams improves the engagement and receptivity of local women in the conflict area.

But recruiting and training these professionals is complex. “Often these soldiers go through highly competitive selection processes. Their names go to a UN selection, which also receives names from women from other countries who also have good qualifications. Our women have been selected for their ability and, when they go to the terrain, show that they really have a quality result”, stated Eduarda Hamann, General Coordinator of the Brazilian Network for Research on Peace Operations (REBRAPAZ).

Captain Luciana Moreira is an example of these soldiers. During her career, the captain was sent on two peacekeeping missions. In one of them, in Haiti, she did assistance work with orphanages and Haitian institutions. Recently, she was sent to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where she served as Civil Military Coordination Officer for the Uruguay Battalion.

In the country, the captain made contact between the civilian population and the UN agents who worked to welcome and care for women in situations of extreme vulnerability. “We deal a lot with child victims of sexual abuse and I think this was one of the situations that marked the time I was there,” she reported. Moreira said that, at certain times, the fact that she was a woman made a difference in her performance.

“The situation involving abuse, especially sexual abuse, is very delicate. But there were times when I noticed that some girls and women felt comfortable coming to me and telling me about abuse. Many people who arrive on missions of this type they do the activity and leave. But my translator, who was also a woman, and I paid extra attention to people and I think that gave them confidence,” said the Army captain and engineer.

Army lieutenant is finalist for UN award

The excellence of the work carried out by military women on missions is also recognized by the UN. Lieutenant Colonel Renata de Castro Monteiro Netto, deployed on a peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, was nominated for the 2023 United Nations Military Defender of Gender Equality award this week. It is the first time that a Brazilian soldier competes for the award in this category.

The soldier began working on the mission in February 2023, as a military observer. In addition to monitoring the activities of military and paramilitary groups, the lieutenant colonel’s role also included identifying and reporting any type of human rights violations witnessed during patrols in conflict areas.

“I feel very proud to represent the 14 thousand soldiers present at UNMISS [missão da ONU no Sudão do Sul], who dedicate themselves every day to maintaining peace. On the other hand, I feel an immense responsibility. On one side of the uniform I represent the UN, an internationally respected institution. On the other side, I carry the flag of my country and the enormous tradition of success in peace missions”, said Renata de Castro Monteiro Netto.

Army studies dedicating up to 10% of military service vacancies to women

The Army command and the Ministry of Defense are preparing a study to open the only sector that currently only recruits men to women: initial military service.

It is not about conscription, as today the demand for military service from young people turning 18 is so high that, in practice, only those who really want to participate and not everyone interested gets the vacancies. In total, around 55 thousand young people are recruited per year. The idea is that initially between 5% and 10% of these vacancies will be allocated to women.

According to General Novaes, women are currently present in all other professional lines of the Army (career soldiers and temporary service), including in combat roles. They total 13 thousand women.

“Since 2017 we have also had women in the military line of career combatants, they are not armed with all weapons yet, but they are already operating on the front line. We also have the first woman taking the helicopter pilot course, women who have already completed the parachuting course, with the jungle warfare course. They are everywhere”, said the general.

In 2017, the Army established their inclusion in the Military Military Education Line, training carried out at the Agulhas Negras Military Academy. It was also the first time that they were able to attend the Army Cadet Preparatory School (EsPCEx), the Logistics Sergeants School (EsSLog) and the Army Aviation Instruction Center (CI Av Ex). Thus, in 2018 and, later, in 2021, the Land Force had the first groups of sergeants and military officers with the presence of women.

Sergeant Anne Maria Deligne Vitor was one of those who graduated from the Army Aviation Instruction Center. At 27 years old, Deligne began his career in the force in 2017. “I always wanted to be a soldier, but I didn’t know how to join the Armed Forces. It was then that I saw an advertisement on TV talking about the competition for female sergeants to join the Army,” she tells People’s Gazette.

After being approved and trained as a sergeant, Deligne began her specialization in the aviation field, completed in 2021. The soldier works in aircraft maintenance and carries out her profession with satisfaction. In an area that for many years was occupied only by men, she says that welcoming and encouraging women is part of everyday life.

“I believe that we are very capable and each of us makes space for others to come. So during our training, we are encouraged by our instructors to challenge our abilities in the most diverse aspects, so that we can understand that we are capable of anything. I believe that we only tend to make room for others to come and more vacancies to open up,” she stated.