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The Women in Blue Helmets

Gender, Policing, and the UN's First All-Female Peacekeeping Unit

Authored by: Lesley J. Pruitt

Categories: Peace Support Operations
Sub-Categories: Peacekeeping
Country: Liberia
Region: Sub-Saharan Africa
Year: 2016
Citation: Pruitt, Lesley J. The Women in Blue Helmets: Gender, Policing, and the UN's First All-Female Peacekeeping Unit. University of California Press, 2016.

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Executive Summary

The Women in Blue Helmets tells the story of the first all-female police unit deployed by India to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia in January 2007. Lesley J. Pruitt investigates how the unit was originated, developed, and implemented, offering an important historical record of this unique initiative. Examining precedents in policing in the troop-contributing country and recent developments in policing in the host country, the book offers contextually rich examination of all-female units, explores the potential benefits of and challenges to women’s participation in peacekeeping, and illuminates broader questions about the relationship between gender, peace, and security.