Tough and compassionate

Today marks the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. Behind every Bangladeshi army personnel deployed in UN peacekeeping missions, there is a story of sacrificing the comfort of family life in favour of keeping the people of a distant country safe. For female army officers, it's often more than that.

Female Bangladeshi peacekeepers are hard to find in UN missions; Maj Farzana Shakil is currently one of only a handful of female Bangladeshi army personnel stationed in South Sudan.

She came to South Sudan six months ago, leaving her four-year-old son Araf back home in Bangladesh.

“When are you coming back, Ammu?” -- Araf keeps asking his mother every time they talk over phone or Skype.

“It breaks my heart every time he says that but that is the life of a soldier and when I chose this profession, I knew I had to prioritise my duties above my emotions,” said Maj Farzana.

She had promised her son that she would be back for his birthday last month, but she couldn't. She couldn't even talk to him on his birthday because she was away from the mission headquarters on field duty.

Even six months ago, Maj Jesmin Akter lived a happy family life with her husband and her three-year-old daughter Nafeesa in Dhaka. But when she was sent to peacekeeping duties in South Sudan, she had to leave her daughter with her mother in Bogra. Her husband, who works for a private company, is living in Dhaka alone.

“That is how it is for an army personnel. The three of us now live in three different places. All I get to do now is talk to my daughter and husband over phone or social media,” said Maj Jesmin.

If at all, these sacrifices only make the female army personnel more determined at work.

“For a mother, nothing is harder than staying away from her children. But, we forget everything when we see the smiling faces of the people in distress here. They love us for the service that we are providing to maintain peace and stability in their country. It means a lot, truly,” said Capt Faria Islam, adjutant of Bangladesh Signal Company 13 at the peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

There was a time when the general concept was to keep the female peacekeepers off tough assignments. But officers like Maj Farzana, Maj Jesmin and Captain Faria have changed that.

“Our female colleagues have always been really up to the task. They are as good as our male officers if not better. We are really proud of them, especially because of the fantastic work they have been doing, leaving their families back at home,” said Maj Shanawaz Tuskin, currently stationed in South Sudan.

At present, a total of 157 female peacekeepers are working in various contingents in different countries along with their male colleagues to establish peace and stability.