Preventing Sexual Exploitation And Abuse By Male Peacekeepers

Sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeeping forces first came to international attention more than a quarter century ago. Despite numerous U.N. policy responses, the problem persists, harming individuals, jeopardizing missions, and undermining the credibility and legitimacy of U.N. peacekeeping operations. This report addresses the question of why more progress has not been made in preventing these violations and draws attention to ways in which prevention efforts can be strengthened and made more effective.

While serving in United Nations peacekeeping missions, some peacekeepers sexually exploit and abuse the local population, a fact which erupted into a scandal published by many media outlets in 2005 and 2006. This book analyzes factors which may increase the risk of such behavior as well as measures the UN has taken which may have decreased the number of incidents. Using a mixed methods design, the book argues that previous analyses have been largely undertheorized—with the exception of gender theories—and turns to criminology to look at the phenomenon of so-called “Sexual Exploitation and Abuse” (SEA) in a new light. The three risk factors found to increase the likelihood of SEAs are an environment of sexual violence in the mission’s host country, the presence of internally displaced persons close to the mission, and a lack of supervised or regulated contact with the local population. In turn, the presence of an office whose purpose is to collect reports and investigate allegations, training on preventing SEAs for the incoming peacekeepers, and campaigns to empower the local population on these issues all seem to reduce the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse occurring. By using a statistical analysis followed by case studies of the UN peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, and the Golan Heights, the author demonstrates the importance these factors have in the peacekeepers’ behavior on the mission, providing a solid basis upon which future policy recommendations can be made.

Sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations (UN) peacekeepers is not an isolated or recent problem, but it has been present in almost every peacekeeping operation. A culture of sexual exploitation and abuse is contrary to the UN’s zero-tolerance policy and has been the target of institutional reforms since 2005. Despite this, allegations of sexual abuse continue to emerge, and the reforms have not solved the problem. This book is a response to the continued lack of accountability of UN peacekeepers for sexual exploitation and abuse. Focusing on military contingent members, this book aims to analyse ways in which the UN can fill the accountability gap while taking a feminist perspective and emphasising the needs of victims, their communities, and the host state. This book directly challenges the status quo of relying on troop-contributing countries (TCCs) to hold their peacekeepers to account. It proposes first, the establishment of a series of hybrid courts, and second, a mechanism for dealing with victim rehabilitation and reparation. It addresses these topics by considering international and human rights law and will be of interest to researchers, academics, policymakers, and students with an interest in international criminal law, United Nations peacekeeping, and peace studies.

Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2015 im Fachbereich Politik - Thema: Frieden und Konflikte, Sicherheit, Note: 1,7, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: Children, women and men in conflict areas are not only affected by the more obvious forms of violence, but too often also have to face all forms of gender-based violence, including rape, prostitution, trafficking etc. Although the United Nations (UN) send their peacekeeping troops with the goal to establish and maintain peace and the well-being of the local civilians, some bluehelmets use their position to sexually violate the vulnerable population. However, as worse as only these violations might be, often the negative effects do not stop with the mere act. A whole range of problems is closely related to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA): infections of HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancies and abandoned children, making the victims suffer double. Although there exists a comprehensive legal framework regarding sexual violence, the problem obviously continues to exist as statistics of the number of allegations per year reveal: 105 in 2004, 340 in 2005, 82 in 2006, 136 in 2007, 111 in 2008; 154 in 2009. In the light of this shocking high rates of assaults, one must not forget however, that only the officially registered allegations are enlisted, the dark figure is estimated to be even several times higher if one considers the chronic under-reporting in post-conflict areas. Bearing in mind, this thesis focuses on the responses given by the UN to the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation of women, men, girls and boys by bluehelmets during peacekeeping missions. The central question is therefore: What has been done so far and what else needs to be done? Since it is essential to first try to understand why violations of sexual nature continue to occur in the first place to be able to derive possible responses and solutions to combat this problem, chapter 2 “Factors promoting the continuance of SEA and under-reporting” will focus on the context conditions that foster the increased likelihood of assaults. In the next chapter, this thesis will give an overview of the major responses given by the UN. Due to a lack of concrete and detailed statistics as well as deeper and comparative case studies, it won't be able to determine the effectiveness of these measures implemented until now. However, some obvious flaws will be pointed out and further necessary actions and measures presented in chapter 4 “What more needs to be done?”

The deployment of a large number of soldiers, police officers and civilian personnel inevitably has various effects on the host society and economy, not all of which are in keeping with the peacekeeping mandate and intent or are easily discernible prior to the intervention. This book is one of the first attempts to improve our understanding of unintended consequences of peacekeeping operations, by bringing together field experiences and academic analysis. The aim of the book is not to discredit peace operations but rather to improve the way in which such operations are planned and managed.

The Women in Blue Helmets tells the story of the first all-female police unit deployed by India to the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia in January 2007. Lesley J. Pruitt investigates how the unit was originated, developed, and implemented, offering an important historical record of this unique initiative. Examining precedents in policing in the troop-contributing country and recent developments in policing in the host country, the book offers contextually rich examination of all-female units, explores the potential benefits of and challenges to women’s participation in peacekeeping, and illuminates broader questions about the relationship between gender, peace, and security.

Sexual violence in conflict is not simply a gross violation of human rights—it is also a security challenge.

"In it's first part, the Global Overview, the report profiles documented conflict-related sexual violence in 51 countries - in Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East - that have experienced armed conflict over the past twenty years. The second part of the report, entitled Implications for the Security Sector, explores strategies for security and justice actors to prevent and respond to sexual violence in armed conflict and post-conflict situations"--P. 4 of cover.