BOGOTA, Colombia — Wearing camouflage, Zulma Stefania Perez reflected on her first weeks of coaching at a military base within the capital — and on her life as one in all Colombia’s first female recruits in greater than 20 years.
“The physical drills we must endure are the identical” as those for men, she said. “Being women doesn’t make us less capable. Actually, there are lots of skills and strengths now we have that men may not have.”
Perez, 24, is an element of a cohort of 1,296 women who enlisted in Colombia’s army in February, when the South American country opened military service to women for the primary time in 25 years.
Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men ages 18 to 24.
The military relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and perform administrative tasks, while its skilled soldiers confront drug trafficking gangs and rebel groups.
This yr, officials allowed females in the identical age range to voluntary join the military, in what the military says is an element of an effort to “strengthen the role of ladies” in its ranks.
Recruits must live to tell the tale military bases for several months and earn a monthly stipend of only about $75, but a few of the women in the brand new program hope it helps them construct a profession within the armed forces.
They see it as a likelihood for a stable job and academic opportunities.
“I like the teachings we get here about human rights, and international humanitarian law, because that’s my field of experience” said Perez, who a has a law degree but has struggled to search out work within the legal career.
She said that after her basic training she is going to likely get a job within the military’s judicial affairs department.
First, she must undergo three months of basic training, waking up every day at 6 a.m. and being given just one minute to take a chilly shower.
She has also learned to run while carrying a 6 1/2-pound rifle.
“The hardest thing has been to adapt to all of this exercise” she said. “As a civilian you reside a sedentary lifestyle.”
Others said they decided to hitch the military because being in law enforcement runs of their families.
“Since I used to be small I all the time desired to wear this uniform with pride, discipline and honor” said Yariany Alvarez, a 20-year-old recruit in Bogota who has a police officer uncle.
She said she was not afraid of being a soldier in Colombia, where the military continues to be struggling to free some rural pockets of the country from the grip of drug gangs and rebel groups.
“It is a dangerous job” she said. “But when we learn our drills and follow instructions, I feel we’ll give you the chance to face out.”
Colombia’s army has around 200,000 soldiers.
Around 1% are women, who until now joined after attending military universities or applying for administrative jobs.
Every yr, the South American country drafts around 50,000 men into the armed forces for 12 months of compulsory military service.
It’s a practice criticized by human rights activists and a few politicians, who complain that almost all recruits are men from low income urban neighborhoods or rural areas, while wealthier Colombians who graduate from private schools find ways to avoid service.
The brand new push to permit females to enlist comes as Colombia’s congress debates a bill that may eliminate compulsory military service and enable young men to exchange it with internships in educational programs, environmental projects or human rights initiatives.
Military officers in Colombia have opposed this laws, saying it could diminish the military’s capabilities.
