//The Female Frontline//

By Jessica Omari Following our last piece Female combatants – the great challenge: Physical or Emotional? some of you wanted to know more about the roles open to women in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). According to IDF figures around 1,500 women enlist each year, a number which has remained consistent. The IDF stress that 90% of … Continue reading »

- Tida Mercedes The MODs Department of Community Mental Health (DCMHs) is the division within the armed forces that helps to assist and monitor soldiers who are and suffering from a mental health disorder. Triggered or developed through a soldiers experience of fighting on the frontlines or a diagnosed before joining the forces. DCMHs are … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak It was a startling piece of news in 2007: over the previous twenty years, more servicewomen and men had committed suicide than had died in military action. Back then, the MOD released statistics that showed the number of suicides had risen by nearly 50 from the previous year. Male soldiers in their … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari 17 journalists have been killed so far in 2012 with Syria topping an infamous leadership board – most dangerous -  6 journalists have now lost their lives there since January. The media storm surrounding the tragic deaths of these journalists, including the high profile death of Sunday Times Journalist, Marie Colvin, has … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak In modern, western democracies we are encouraged to believe equality advances society. Successful enforcement of equal opportunities is evidence of a grown-up culture, one which eschews out-dated divisions of class, gender and religion in favour of meritocracy: ‘Give the job to the person best for it’. But ‘opportunity’ can be a slippery … Continue reading »

-Tida Mercedes There are currently 17, 620 female soldiers serving in the British armed forces 3, 760 of these are officers and approximately one fifth 8,000 serve in either Iraq or Afghanistan. 67% of all armed forces jobs are open to women and female soldiers make up 9.4 % of the total number of British … Continue reading »

There is much speculation about whether having women in the armed forces affects men’s ability to do their job to the best of their ability. This blog has focused on the achievements and different range of women involved in the armed forces across the world so it seemed a shame we could not find any … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari Nigeria ‘wing’ first female combat pilot 28 year old Blessing Liman made history on Friday as she was decorated as the Nigerian Air Force’s first female combat pilot, in the sub-region of Abuja. The ceremony hosted by Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Mohammed Dikko Umar. Saw Liman and 29 male Pilots gaining … Continue reading »

-Tida Mercedes The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has grabbed more mass media attention than virtually any other governmental department within the British government. In 1997 when ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair was elected to power he made a now infamous speech declaring that Britain under his rule would be what he described as the first generation … Continue reading »

-Tida Mercedes ‘Peace By Peace’: Women on the frontlines is a documentary produced and filmed by Peace X Peace. The documentary emphasises the women soldiers on the ground working everyday continuously on the frontlines. To achieve components of peace around the world, the methods of peace built by these female soldiers and the needs for their … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak The Service Women’s Action Network (SWAN) is possibly the best example of a human rights organisation protecting servicewomen and women veterans; fostering a supportive online community whilst doing so. Officially, SWAN works to enforce equal opportunity within the U.S. Military. They say they provide “national policy advocacy and direct services to servicewomen” … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari Women’s voices are missing from the peace-building process in Kashmir. The territorial dispute between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region directly affects women in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), but their voices are missing in the peace-building process. The conflict between the two neighboring states over the disputed region of … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corp James F. Amos announces he is exploring ways to further integrate women Marines into combat units:“I have directed that measured and responsible research be conducted to provide me with the information and data necessary to make an informed and educated recommendation on potential policy changes,” he … Continue reading »

Colonel Anthony Beattie is the National Secretary for The Royal British Legion Women’s Section.  The Female Frontline spoke to The Royal British Legion Women’s Section to tell us how they help to support service and ex-service female soldiers.   The Royal British Legion Women’s Section is a membership organisation for Women which provides care and … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari Myself and Tida Mercedes were in the process of making a visual piece documenting the timeline of female war correspondents. Though we were quick to discover the coverage out there is already overwhelming, with book after book, inch after inch, frame after frame and post after post on the topic. Though Reuters … Continue reading »

Global Equality … or not as the case may be. It seems that in 2012 all is in not equal in the world, with only eight of the countries on the map permitting women to obtain the same roles available to men. These are Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Israel, New Zealand and South Korea. … Continue reading »

-Tida Mercedes We commonly hear about the wives who are married to British soldiers but what about the husbands married to women in the forces – the men left behind? Jake is one of 700 men married to women in the British Military. Jake describes his experiences of being a army husband and having a wife … Continue reading »

In celebration of the RAF being named as one of the best female employers in the country, this is an audio slideshow to look at the history of women in the RAF.

  The Times newspaper has today (16th April 2012) revealed The Royal Air Force has earned a place in this years “Times Top 50 Employers for Women” list for the second year running.   It seems a combination of working with ‘Opportunity Now’ whose gender benchmarking system looks at an employer’s policy, processes, human effect, … Continue reading »

-Ashley Mak Acquainting ourselves with the past is always useful when awaiting the future. It gives us frames of reference, context and better perspective when time comes to consider current policy movements. The talk surrounding women’s roles in modern warfare is spreading and growing, but what of female contributions to the frontline throughout history? A … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak A little while back, The Female Frontline spoke to Dr. Dawne Vogt of the U.S. Veterans Administration. Vogt was the lead author of a study that surveyed the mental health of female and male U.S. veterans who had recently returned from deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. What the study uncovered surprised even … Continue reading »

This March Flt Lt Kirsty Stewart from the RAF, the first female Red Arrows pilot, quit. She was suffering from PTSD as two of her male colleagues died just three months apart. She has faced an incredible backlash but is it justified? Are women too sensitive to be in such a risky career? Was it … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari Black Africans have been terrorized, driven out of their villages, and decimated by Arab militias, the Janjaweed and the Sudan government since 2003.  It is estimated that up to 400,000 people are dead, while 2.7 million people have been displaced. Women and girls have been raped and beaten at an alarming rate. … Continue reading »

Arrested in Tahrir Square during the second wave of uprisings in Cairo last August, BBC Journalist Shaimaa Khalil has reported from Egypt, Libya and Saudia Arabia. The Female Frontline spoke to her about her career and experience as a journalist on the female frontline. Archive footage via YouTube with permission credit InomineX Career Now a … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari Amr Mohammed Moussa is an Egyptian politician and diplomat. Moussa is running in the 2012 Egyptian presidential election. Slated for May, other candidates include Bothaina Kamel, Egypt’s first female presidential candidate. He was born on 3 October 1936 in Cairo, Egypt. He eared a law degree from Cairo University in 1957. Moussa … Continue reading »

By Tida Mercedes and Jessica Omari Following our previous article we took to the streets of Croydon to ask: “Should women serve as combatants on our frontline?” We’d like you to have your say – vote below:

- Diani Vyas Another hugely important aspect of the army is the medical support on the frontline. Moving away from Twitter to Facebook, I found Sarah Buckley who has been to Afghanistan working as a combat medical technician. Joining up  “I was 16 when I joined the army and I did so because I wanted … Continue reading »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVopizQDzjQ

The Female Frontline interviews Egyptian BBC Journalist Shaimaa Khalil.

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- Ashley Mak Much of the debate surrounding servicewomen’s access to more frontline and combat roles rests upon a discussion of women’s physical capabilities, and how these potentially help or hinder male colleagues. This debate is gradually being extended to an equally important aspect of combat participation: psychological fitness. Do women handle the stress of … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari   The 49-year-old is Egypt’s first female Presidential candidate. A self-described social democrat, Bothaina is running as in independent candidate in the Egyptian Presidential Elections, slated for late May 2012. Kamel is running against front-runners from the past regime, including Amr Moussa, Mubarak’s former Arab League and Foreign Minister. Kamel became a household name in the 1990s with a groundbreaking radio … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari “Egyptian women had a great role in the revolution. I was there as a mother, a sister and a friend, I’m going to keep on fighting.”  With International Women’s Day already a distant memory, what opportunities are there for women who have lived through conflict, even resorting to taking up arms in … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari London’s Frontline Club is seen as championing Independent Journalism. The venue’s walls are draped with the emotive works of war photojournalists like Don McCullin, housed in a Paddington venue frequented by veteran and aspiring hacks and a smattering of the interested public. Last week the Frontline Club screened the BBC Arabic film An … Continue reading »

- Tida Mercedes A survey published by the Equal Opportunities Commission confirmed that two thirds (2/3rds) of all women in the British armed forces have been subjected to sexual harassment. Just over a quarter (1/4) said that due to persistent sexual gestures, they had considered quitting their jobs. One woman out of every 20 had … Continue reading »

What is it like to be female and serve within the frontlines of the British armed forces? There are currently 1,000 women out of 17,900 recruits serving within the frontlines in various roles for the British Army. The integration of women into the British armed forces began in the late 1990’s. However, despite this unity … Continue reading »

- Ashley Mak There is a certain ‘watch from behind parted fingers’ quality to this year’s run-up to the U.S. presidential elections. It’s similar in its perversity to driving slower past a car-crash: you can’t help but gawp with curiosity, and occasionally horror. As Republican presidential candidates work up a maelstrom of crowd-greeting, enthusiasm-whooping, hand-shaking … Continue reading »

P.O.W Becoming a prisoner of war; are women on the frontline more at risk of abuse than their male counterparts? Is it men or women who are more at risk of being abused if they were to become prisoners of war? This might seem like it has an obvious answer but the argument is surprisingly … Continue reading »

By Jessica Omari This year non-fiction documentaries took the Sundance Film Festival by storm, documentaries on subjects from the war on drugs, to rape in the military, captivated audiences and spurred calls to action. The alternative US film festival, showcasing films made outside Hollywood’s studios, is an important gathering for documentary filmmakers and a launch … Continue reading »

- Diani Vyas Laura Morrison, 26, is in the Territorial Army (TA). She joined in 2003, and has definitely had an interesting experience. She shares her thoughts: Joining “As an Army Cadet whilst studying at college and during my degree, it was a natural progression to then join the Territorial Army. In the 9 years … Continue reading »

- Diani Vyas The armed forces are so varied and by the powers of Twitter I managed to get hold of Louise Swift Webster a woman in the Royal Air Force to share her reasons behind joining up. Pictures provided by Louise Swift Webster Joining up “I was 18 when I joined the Royal Air … Continue reading »

- Diani Vyas I’ve always thought about the type of girl who joined the army with wonder. Who are they? Why did they join? In order to correct any misconceptions I had – e.g. they are all action women – I contacted Anna Smith.(Not her real name) Anna is 22 years old I knew from school, who … Continue reading »