Training for military and civilian personnel takes place until May 14, in Rio de Janeiro
by Agência Marinha de Notícias – Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Today (08), the on-site phase of the Brazilian Navy’s (MB). Peace Operations Internship for Women begins. The students will go through theoretical and operational instructions, until this Friday (12), at the Naval Peace Operations Center (CopPazNav), of the Marine Corps. The objective of the training is to capacitate and expand the performance of the female public in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions.
During this period, there will be displays of Marine Corps operational means, lectures, and exercises on the leadership track – a tool used to improve this virtue, which provides knowledge of individual and collective capabilities and limitations, and the development of the leader’s emotional intelligence.
There are more than 60 students, including military personnel and civilians. MB military personnel, Federal Highway Police agents, students from the Universidade Federal Fluminense and PUC-RJ, and representatives from other public agencies. Classes take place at the Centro de Instrução Almirante Sylvio de Camargo, in the Fluminense capital, full time.
Since 2018, CopPazNav has already trained 291 women to act in UN peacekeeping operations, in national and international classes. One of them is Ana Carolina Freitas da Silva, an International Relations graduate from UFF. She participated in the internship in October 2019. “Participating was very good. First, for the connections I made with the military and with other researchers in International Relations, in the sense of networking and discovering new opportunities. And second, obviously, for the course content, which was very precise and enriching, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. It was an experience that I cherish and that was extremely positive for my resume,” she recalls.
One of the most remarkable experiences for Ana Carolina was the opportunity to attend lectures by military women about their experiences in peace missions. In this year’s internship, one of the lecturers is Frigate Captain (Technical Staff) Gisele dos Santos Alves. She was the first servicewoman from Brazil’s three Armed Forces to be sent to a UN mission for a military observer role, ten years ago, in Ivory Coast.
“Ten years after my assignment as a military observer in Ivory Coast, I believe that my experience as a military woman was a step into the unknown. I tried to be prepared for all scenarios and had the support of many peacekeepers. However, I missed exactly this conversation: the opportunity to ask questions to a female member of the Brazilian Armed Forces with this experience. Being a pioneer is an honor and a responsibility. I want to say, personally, to the military and civilians who start the Women’s Peace Operations Course today, that they can, each in their own way, contribute to the peace and security of women and girls around the world,” says Frigate Captain (T) Gisele.
Besides Frigate Captain (T) Gisele, other MB military personnel have also participated in peacekeeping missions. One of them is Frigate Captain (T) Marcia Andrade Braga, who won, in 2019, the UN Military Defender of Gender Equality award, in New York, USA. The achievement, unprecedented for Brazil, was for her performance as a member of the United Nations Peace Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA). In 2020, the winner of the award was, once again, a Navy soldier, Sea and War Captain (Dental Surgeon) Carla Marcolini Monteiro de Castro Araújo e Souza. Before also serving in MINUSCA, she was a student in the first class of the Brazilian Navy’s Peacekeeping Operations Internship for Women.
Source: Agência Marinha de Notícias