UN Peacekeeping Operations: The Emerging Problem of Sexual Exploitation

2012 ◽  
pp. 13-38
Author(s):  
Olivera Simic
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Un Peacekeeping

The Relationship between Contributors’ Domestic Abuses and Peacekeeper Misconduct in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cale Horne ◽  
Kellan Robinson ◽  
Megan Lloyd
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Military Forces ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Original Dataset ◽  
United Nations Peacekeeping ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Recent research has begun to examine patterns of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) perpetrated by peacekeepers deployed in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations (PKOs). Yet, SEA makes up only a fraction of credible allegations of misconduct by peacekeepers. In this article we explore the contours of misconduct in UN PKOs beyond SEA allegations. We argue that the behavior of military forces in their own countries should easily predict their behavior when deployed as part of UN PKOs, which are typically set in fragile, postconflict countries where civilians have minimal protections or legal recourse. Using an original dataset of misconduct in PKOs from 2009 to 2016, we find the behavior of PKO contributor states toward their own populations strongly and consistently predicts the behavior of these states’ military forces in UN PKOs. These findings have implications for the vetting, supervision, and composition of PKOs.

The UN Security Council and the Political Economy of the WPS Resolutions

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. 721-727 ◽  
Author(s):  
Soumita Basu
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Security Council ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
Armed Conflicts ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Peace Processes ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Peace And Security

As of June 2017, there were eight United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs) on “women and peace and security”—UNSCRs 1325, 1820, 1888, 1889, 1960, 2106, 2122, and 2242. These UNSCRs recognize the gendered nature of armed conflicts and peace processes. They propose institutional provisions geared mainly toward protecting women and girls during armed conflicts and promoting their participation in conflict resolution and prevention. In addition, in March 2016, the Security Council adopted UNSCR 2272, which recommends concrete steps to combat sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations, an issue that is of significant concern for women, peace, and security (WPS) advocates. The volume of resolutions and policy literature on WPS would suggest that UNSCR 1325 and the follow-up UNSCRs have become central to the mandate of the Security Council. Yet there is a paucity of financial resources to pay for implementation of the resolutions; this has been described as “perhaps the most serious and persistent obstacle … over the past 15 years” (UN Women 2015, 372).

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Jasmine-Kim Westendorf
Keyword(s):  
Sex Trafficking ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Peace Operations ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions

This introductory chapter provides an overview of sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping operations. These behaviors are diverse and have ranged from opportunistic sexual assault and rape to planned, sadistic sexual violence; from networked exploitation such as sex trafficking and the production of pornography to transactional sex, which is often also referred to as “survival sex.” The perpetrators are not just soldiers deployed into peacekeeping operations; they include the full range of uniformed and civilian UN peacekeepers as well as private contractors, aid workers, and others associated with peace operations. The chapter then considers the relatively small body of scholarly work on sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping missions. Understanding the patterns of sexual exploitation and abuse in peace operations, the factors that give rise to it, and its impacts on the capacity and credibility of the international community is crucial to developing effective prevention and response policies globally.

From Rhetoric to Reality: A Pragmatic Analysis of the Integration of Women into UN Peacekeeping Operations

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 337-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Bleckner
Keyword(s):  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Pragmatic Analysis

This paper aims to provide a critical analysis of the integration of women into United Nations (UN) peacekeeping – particularly in the form of all-female units – as a means of deterring sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in conflict environments. Results from this study indicate that compared to both male peacekeepers and female peacekeepers from co-ed units, women from all-female units have a greater awareness of gender issues and SEA in a UN mission, sense of responsibility to address such issues, and experience doing so during deployment. The distinct gap in these measures between women from all-female units and co-ed units challenges the widespread assumption that women will inherently address SEA in a UN mission. Analyzing the variables that may contribute to the success of the all-female unit, the article concludes that these same factors may be applied to a wider distribution of women throughout peacekeeping operations. Recommendations presented in the article must be implemented as a component of a broad, long-term gender mainstreaming strategy to address the interrelated nature of gender inequality and sexual violence in conflict. Results of the study are analyzed with a focus on the role of UN peacekeeping in mitigating SEA in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Military socialization, disciplinary culture, and sexual violence in UN peacekeeping operations

2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
pp. 715-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Moncrief
Keyword(s):  
United Nations ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Disciplinary Culture ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Military Socialization ◽  
The United Nations

The sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of civilians by international peacekeepers is a form of post-conflict violence that is pernicious and understudied, but far from inevitable. However, there are very few cross-mission analyses of the phenomenon. This article considers whether the socialization experiences of troops in two environments, the contributing state military and the peacekeeping mission itself, help to explain the observed variation in SEA. Drawing on a dataset of SEA allegations between 2007 and 2014, as well as the first publicly available data from the United Nations that identify the nationalities of alleged perpetrators, this article analyzes the layered nature of socialization through the lens of SEA. Specifically, this article presents evidence that SEA is positively associated with disciplinary breakdowns at the peacekeeping mission’s lower levels of command, and argues that a peacekeeping mission may carry its own norms and socializing processes that either constrain or facilitate the emergence and endurance of SEA.

Unexpected Grey Areas, Innuendo and Webs of Complicity: Experiences of Researching Sexual Exploitation in UN Peacekeeping Missions

2020 ◽  
pp. 243-256
Author(s):  
Henri Myrttinen
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Exploitation ◽  
Ethical Challenges ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Peacekeeping Operations ◽  
Un Peacekeeping ◽  
Conducting Research ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions

This chapter discusses the problems of conducting research on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in conflict-affected situations in relation to peacekeeping operations (PKOs). It focuses on some of the murkiness and dilemmas, gaps, methodological issues, and ethical challenges that Henri Myrttinen encountered in conducting research on SEA/SGBV. It also points out methodological challenges of conducting research on SEA/SGBV issues, particularly on dealing with unverifiable data and the risks of collusion with interlocutors. The chapter draws on Myrttinen's comparative study on the gendered impacts of peacekeeping in Cambodia and Timor-Leste. It also examines some of the grey areas related to the theoretically black-and-white issue of SEA in PKOs.

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