INTERVIEW/Academic, former Ukrainian MP tout women's role in national defense

Taipei, May 26 (CNA) Women's participation in Taiwan's civil defense system and fighting force should be expanded, as they could play a critical role in building resiliency and conquering enemies, two attendees at a civil defense forum in Taipei this week told CNA.

Taiwan should devise ways to allow women to have access to the same skills that men learn in the country's Substitute Service program, Julia Famularo, a Harvard University postdoctoral fellow, said in an exclusive interview with CNA.

The Substitute Service program, managed by the Ministry of the Interior, recruits men who cannot be drafted, as is mandatory, due to crucial family matters and other circumstances.

The recruits are usually assigned to public agencies such as fire departments and medical institutions for six months to one year, depending on their age and other factors.

Famularo, whose current academic research focuses on the program, said she would love to see Taiwan's government and civil society team up to develop programs geared towards women, so that they could acquire the same skills as the male substitute recruits.

It is evident that Taiwanese women want to to be part of the country's civil defense, she said, citing the fact that there are sometimes more women than men participating in the first-aid, search and rescue, and firefighting classes offered by non-profit civil defense education institutions.

"Just like men, Taiwanese women want to serve their country, they want to be part of the solution, they want to contribute to whole-society resiliency," Famularo said.

She suggested that the interior ministry and non-governmental partners work together to develop a one- or two-week pilot program for women, starting in certain cities.

"You could start small and experiment, but I think the possibilities are limitless," said Famularo, who was one of the speakers at the Global Leaders Forum on Civil Defense and Resilience held by the non-profit civil defense education institution Kuma Academy in Taipei on May 21 and 22.

Former Ukrainian lawmaker Hanna Hopko expressed similar views, citing the example of women in her country, which is engulfed in a war with Russia. Currently, there are about 40,000 Ukrainian women in the country's armed forces, fighting against the invading Russian troops, said Hopko, who had also spoken at the forum.

Women in the Ukrainian forces operate drones and rocket launchers, man tanks, and work as snipers, said Hopko, who chaired the Ukrainian Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs 2014-2019.

She also said it was important to push back against gender stereotypes in the area of national defense.

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the stereotyping of women in Ukraine had led many to believe that a woman's role was primarily to have children, Hopko said.

"But the war changed that," she said. "Now women are part of our defense -- from civil defense to defending our country on the battlefield -- taking up different roles, not just in evacuation or giving medical support, but also in military jobs."

Hopko further suggested that one way to bolster a country's civil defense capabilities is to build a well-developed volunteer network.

In Ukraine, there is a vibrant volunteer network, comprising practically the entire population, which has been helping with the evacuation and accommodation of library and school staff in some of the hardest-hit cities during the war, she said.

Similarly, an association of Ukrainian entrepreneurs has been helping companies in Ukraine to relocate to other cities and countries, "because the economy is also a part of our resilience," Hopko said.

Another Ukrainian at the forum, Maksym Tereshchenko, also spoke with CNA, saying that volunteering has played a crucial role in keeping people sane during the war in his country.

Soon after the war broke out, Tereshchenko said, he contacted all of his friends to find out how they were coping.

The war was a new and unexpected situation for most people, and emotional support was essential to prevent them from having breakdowns, said Tereshchenko, founder of Mantis Analytics.

"Volunteering is an opportunity to be involved and be mentally stable in such kinds of crazy situations," he said.