Indian Army Major Radhika Sen: Know About Her Bravery!
UN Military Gender Advocate Award: Those who have life in their dreams reach their destination, wings are of no use, it is courage that makes one fly. Many people must have read and heard these lines of a poet, but Himachal's daughter Radhika Sen has understood it very well and has proved that even the sky can be achieved with the strength of courage. Radhika, who has become an example of determination and courage, will be honored with the prestigious UN Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award on International United Nations Peacekeepers Day. She will be given this honor by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Major Radhika Sen has worked in the United Nations Mission in Congo. Let's know who Radhika Sen is.
Radhika Sen was born in 1993
in Himachal Pradesh. She had been dreaming of joining the Indian Army since childhood. Radhika Sen has a degree in Biotech Engineering. She was pursuing her Master's degree from IIT Bombay when she decided to join the Army. Radhika Sen joined the Army eight years ago i.e. in 2016.
After joining
the Indian Army, she rose through the ranks one after the other. She was posted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) as a UN Engagement Platoon Commander with the Indian Rapid Deployment Battalion in 2023 and completed her tenure in April 2024.
What responsibility did she get in the UN Engagement Platoon?
Radhika Sen said that her main purpose of being in the engagement platoon was to inspire people to do something different. She said, "In any conflict area, women and girls are disproportionately affected." Major Sen further said that she and her team's effort was to reach out to those women and girls. They had to talk to them about their problems and help them get out of those problems. This is what they did in Congo.
Major Sen said, "In today's world it is very important that women support each other and fight discriminatory norms that exist in society. Employment plays an important role in empowering women. During this, men should also support women
." He further said, "We used to educate women about their rights."
The award will be given by the United Nations
. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that Guterres will present the 2023 Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award to Radhika Sen on Thursday. It is celebrated as the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. Currently, India has the 11th largest contribution of female military peacekeepers working for the United Nations.
Why is this award given
The prestigious Gender Advocate Award recognizes the efforts of a peacekeeper in promoting the Security Council resolution of the year 2000, which seeks to protect women and girls from sexual violence in conflict areas. Radhika is the second Indian peacekeeper to receive this honor after Sen Major Suman Gawani. Suman Gawani worked with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan and received this award in 2019. Of the 6,063 Indian personnel in UN peacekeeping missions, 1,954 work with MONUSCO, of which 32 are women.
Radhika Sen is a role model