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In the headlines, women suicide bombers in Middle Eastern countries experiencing conflict are becoming more prevalent. They are used by terrorist groups as stealth attacks to advance their cause and incite fear in the public. One thing is clear; they play on the socially accepted view that women are passive and nonviolent which allows them to carry out terrorist attacks more easily at times than men. Women who are affiliated with these terrorist organizations are being trained to handle explosives, assemble and shoot AK-47s, and undergo psychological training to carry out their assigned missions. A report from the Jafee Center for Strategic studies records that between 1985 and 2006, there have been more than 220 women suicide bombers, totaling 15 percent of the overall number of actual suicide bombers worldwide, including those intercepted before an attack.

In order to curtail the rising amount of female suicide bombers in Middle Eastern countries undergoing conflict, there must be an increase in the amount of females serving within the military and police forces. This would simultaneously empower the status of women, while helping to ensure national and global security.

The need for women to serve in both the military and police forces of countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan is necessary to prevent terrorist attacks from female suicide bombers. Female members of security forces can carry out bodily inspections of women wearing a veil or burqa for religious purposes, unlike their male counterparts who are restricted from doing so. Female security force members may also be more apt to detect from other women, any facial expressions or behavior that may seem suspicious. Additionally, many military and police force operations deal directly with citizens, especially during humanitarian crises, violent outbreaks, and political unrest. To effectively protect and serve the people within gender separated societies, women officers are much needed to assist female civilians. For intelligence operations, women are just as capable as men to interpret and analyze all forms of intelligence. It is also highly likely that women can obtain human intelligence information from other women sources much more inconspicuously than a man would be able to do. These examples show that national security for civilians is enhanced when the security forces are representative of the nation’s population demographics.

Often, the reality for many Middle Eastern women pursuing national police or military careers is that it is socially unacceptable for them to do so. A significant amount of women who choose to follow this career path face intense opposition from their families, spouses, and male officers. However, the growing number of women who have elected to serve their country in security forces seek to change these views. The Baghdad Police Force currently includes 300 women police officers. Many are present in the streets and are active during dangerous activities. Their presence is important to ensure the safety of female civilians and give them confidence when venturing outside of the home. Also, they can serve as role models for other women and young girls in their community which in turn can contribute to strengthening women’s empowerment.

Efforts by NATO countries such as the United States have helped train women soldiers in the Afghan army for almost a decade, contributing to the few hundred women officers that currently serve there. Recently, the NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan and the Afghan Ministry of Defense have collaborated to successfully train women--some of whom were formerly domestic workers, to hold positions of authority in the Afghan military. When the time comes for NATO to exit Afghanistan, there should be a significant amount of women officers left to safeguard the country. To ensure this, there are a variety of approaches that should be used to continue the steady recruitment of women officers in both the police forces and the military.

First, women’s presence in security forces must be emphasized in a positive light. Especially since a strong presence of women military and police officers in Middle Eastern countries undergoing conflict is needed to help prevent both the recruitment of female suicide bombers as well as the terrorist attacks they commit. Unfortunately, female suicide bomber attacks often receive much more media attention than the efforts put forth by women serving within national armies or police forces in this region. Women officers’ roles in serving their country should be more visible in the media to help with female recruitment towards these areas and away from terrorist organizations.

Second, sexual harassment and discrimination issues must be addressed. Sexual harassment is often experienced by women working within these male dominated fields. Making the complaint-filing process easier, and increasing the punishments for all types of sexual harassment may eventually work towards the elimination of this problem. If senior male officers treat women officers with respect, it is hopeful that this example will be followed by the lower ranking male officers. However, gender discrimination is often reflected by social norms, and increasing the visibility of women in security forces can only lead to women being seen as equal to men.

Last, a majority of women who work in this field must be allowed to simultaneously take care of their families. Keeping salaries of women in the police and military forces competitive will be an incentive for them to join to provide for their families. Allowing sufficient time for maternity leave, child daycare service, and counseling should also be implemented to ensure that difficulties and barriers to balancing home and work responsibilities are eliminated.

While overcoming gender barriers can take years, now is the time to seriously work towards integrating the militaries in Middle Eastern countries experiencing conflict. Because women make up a large part of the population that nations work to protect and serve, it is imperative that there are a representative amount of women within security forces. The contributions women have made and can continue to make in their country’s national security missions will undoubtedly contribute to the safety of our region and bolster the status of women around the world.

Melissa J.L. Crawford is an undergraduate International Relations student at James Madison College at Michigan State University. She is currently studying abroad for the year in Istanbul, Turkey.

Read related articles from atlantic-community.org members:

• Nicola Blackwood: UN Women: Remedy or Panacea?
• Elizabeth Royall: Rules of Disengagement 

This article was submitted for the atlantic-community.org's competition: "Empowering Women in International Relations." It coincides with the 10th Anniversary of UN resolution 1325 calling for an increased influence of women in all aspects of peace and security. The contest is sponsored by the U.S. Mission to NATO and the NATO Public Diplomacy Division.

You can find more information about the competition here.