Women enlist in Colombia’s army for 1st time in 25 years

Colombia has long had compulsory military service for men, while it has enrolled this February the first women cohort of 1,296 recruits in the Colombian army for the first time in 25 years, according to abc news said on Tuesday.

Official authorities allowed women between 18 and 24 to voluntarily conscript to military this year, as the country has compulsory conscription for men of the same age range.

The men army relies heavily on those young recruits to staff bases, protect infrastructure and carry out administrative tasks, while its professional soldiers confront drug trafficking gangs and rebel groups.

Zulma Stefania Perez, one of the first women’s cohort in the military said “the toughest thing has been to adapt to all of this exercise.” She holds a law degree and said it made her conscription even more interesting.

Perez added that during her conscription, she receives lessons about topics like international humanitarian rights and human rights.

Another recruit, Yariany Alvarez aged 20 said she was motivated to join since she was a little girl because it runs in her family to work in law enforcement. “I always wanted to wear this uniform with pride, discipline and honour,” Alvarez stated.

The army described the move of allowing women’s military service as part of efforts to strengthen the role of women within its ranks. Colombia’s congress also discusses currently abolishing compulsory military conscription for men.

A number of human rights activists have criticised obligatory military service in Colombia. In their criticism, they refer to inequalities allowing wealthier men to avoid service while the less fortunate have no way out of it.