A WORKING group at the RAAF Base last month worked on an action plan to address the fact that in modern warfare, 80 per cent of casualties are women and children, who are also subjected to sexual assault, abduction and trafficking.
The issue was raised by the United Nations Security Council and our RAAF Base’s meeting was part of a national action plan to address the problem.
Group Captain Stewart Dowrie, Chief of Staff for Air Mobility Group, said the UNSC had called for “a global response to this appalling reality”.
He noted also that it had been proven that women had to be involved in the recovery stage after a war.
“We know that restoring peace is more achievable and sustainable when women join men in the decision-making and peace-building process,” he said.
The Air Mobility Group’s Women, Peace and Security working group looked at how to apply the UNSC goals to its operations overseas as it is often first on the scene during times of crisis.
“It is critical for us that our workforce understands the role that gender plays during the situations that we regularly respond to,” Group Captain Dowrie said.
“These scenarios range from mass airborne evacuation of civilians, delivering humanitarian aid and deploying Australian or Coalition personnel to a battlefront.”
Flying Officer Sarah Fraser led the working group on April 19, which she said laid the groundwork for the objectives of the Air Mobility Group over the next two years.
“Women, Peace and Security (WPS) representatives from Air Mobility Group units gained a better understanding of WPS principles, and their application to the work we do, both in Australia and overseas,” FO Fraser said.
She said the principles weren’t just about response in a conflict, but also about having more women in key roles such as operational planning.
She said this could “prove critical to how we approach gender issues within a conflict”.
