Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse: A Persistent Stain on the United Nations Image

The research paper examines the persistent issue of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) perpetrated by UN peacekeepers, particularly in conflict-affected regions of Africa. It highlights how power imbalances and poverty drive transactional sex and notes that legal hurdles, such as Status of Force Agreements (SOFAs), often shield perpetrators from prosecution by leaving jurisdiction with home countries. The paper details the UN's response through Resolution 1325 and Resolution 2272, the latter of which empowers the Secretary-General to repatriate troops and requires member states to report on investigations. It concludes that while reforms under Secretary-General António Guterres provide an opportunity for improvement, success depends on sustained political will and balancing troop deployment needs with stringent vetting.

• The UN defines sexual exploitation as the abuse of vulnerability, power, or trust for sexual purposes, regardless of the age of consent, recognizing that poverty in post-conflict areas often forces women and girls into transactional sexual arrangements for food or money.
• Data from the UN Department of Field Support indicates that of 2,000 reported cases of sexual misconduct over 12 years, 700 occurred in the DRC and 300 involved children, though the author notes that UN statistics are often inaccurate due to under-reporting and poor record-keeping.
• Legal accountability is hindered by Status of Force Agreements (SOFAs), which ensure that nation-states maintain jurisdiction over their own troops, often resulting in a lack of prosecution due to missing domestic laws or a lack of political will in the home country.
• Resolution 2272, adopted in March 2016, strengthened the UN's ability to combat sexual violence by allowing the Secretary-General to repatriate and replace peacekeepers based on evidence of exploitation; this was applied in June 2017 to 600 peacekeepers from the Republic of Congo in the CAR.
• The under-deployment of female peacekeepers is identified as a barrier to reporting crimes, as female victims are believed to find it easier to report to other women; currently, only India and Bangladesh are noted as having responded effectively to calls for more female deployments.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2017). Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse: A Persistent Stain on the United Nations Image. https://saiia.org.za/research/peacekeepers-and-sexual-abuse-a-persistent-stain-on-the-united-nations-image/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse: A Persistent Stain on the United Nations Image. 2017. https://saiia.org.za/research/peacekeepers-and-sexual-abuse-a-persistent-stain-on-the-united-nations-image/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse: A Persistent Stain on the United Nations Image |date=23 November 2017 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/peacekeepers-and-sexual-abuse-a-persistent-stain-on-the-united-nations-image/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2017peacekeepers, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse: A Persistent Stain on the United Nations Image}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2017}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/peacekeepers-and-sexual-abuse-a-persistent-stain-on-the-united-nations-image/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }