U.N. Peacekeeper Sexual Abuse: U.N. Adopts Measures To Tackle Peacekeeper Crimes In Conflict

The U.N. has adopted measures to tackle peacekeeper sexual abuse in conflict amid a growing furor of allegations against its soldiers of crimes in war zones. Soldiers serving under the U.N. flag who face allegations of sexual abuse during any conflict deployment will cause the repatriation of their entire peacekeeping unit under the new resolution, adopted on Friday. The U.S.-drafted measures were adopted under a landslide vote in favor of tackling peacekeeper sexual abuse, with Egypt the only member of the U.N. Security Council voting against.

U.N. peacekeeper soldiers are deployed to protect civilians in conflict, and the U.N.’s website says there are 16 current peacekeeper operations worldwide in war-torn regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Western Sahara, India, Pakistan, Haiti, Kosovo and numerous others in Syria and neighboring nations. The introduction of anti-abuse measures represents a response to troubling statistics on sexual abuse by the U.N.’s most trusted soldiers, reports AFP.

“Concern has been growing since the release of a UN report showing a rise in the number of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers in 10 missions, from 52 in 2014 to 69 last year.”

U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power has led public outcry to improve measures preventing and prosecuting peacekeeper sexual abuse in conflict, having taken to social media to express the significant damage to the U.N.’s legitimacy and reputation inflicted by peacekeeper crimes.

Today in #UNSC mtng on sexual abuse by peacekeepers, all agreed that when protectors become perpetrators, legitimacy of entire UN undermined

— Samantha Power (@AmbPower44) March 10, 2016

The U.N. adopted the measures to tackle peacekeeper sexual abuse in conflict after discovering it was particularly rampant in the Central African Republic, where cases of child rape were so damaging that U.N. Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, fired the mission commander. Ki-moon’s stance on prosecution of war crimes, including peacekeeper sexual abuse, is made clear on the U.N.’s website.

“The United Nations, and I personally, are profoundly committed to a zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation or abuse by our own personnel… When we receive credible allegations, we ensure that they are looked into fully. It means zero impunity,” says Ki-moon.

Until now, it has been the responsibility of the country contributing the peacekeeper soldiers to investigate and prosecute any sexual abuse allegations against its personnel while they serve under the U.N. flag. The measures were the result of a week’s heated debate within the U.N. Security Council.

“The United States had argued that too often, countries fail to investigate after they are notified by the United Nations of credible allegations against their troops,” says AFP of the U.N.’s Peacekeeper Sexual Abuse measures. “The [new] resolution… endorses a new U.N. policy of sending entire peacekeeping units back home if their soldiers face repeated allegations of sex abuse.”

This response has been acknowledged as a step in the right direction towards eliminating this longstanding form of abuse of power, considered particularly abhorrent when perpetrated by peacekeeper troops flying the flag for world peace and trusted to protect civilians under the U.N. banner. The resolution will tackle peacekeeper sexual abuse by prevention as well as prosecution: Ban Ki-moon will also be able to prohibit countries from deploying peacekeeper troops if it fails to take action against accused or convicted perpetrators of sexual abuse.

Ambassador Power told the U.N. Security Council that foreign peacekeeper troops found guilty of sexual abuse “do not deserve to serve in U.N. Peacekeeping missions,” and pledged to fight for the continuing adoption of measures to tackle peacekeeper sexual abuse in conflict.

“To the victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, we pledge that we will do better,” said Power on Friday. “We will do better to ensure that the blue helmets we send as your protectors do not become perpetrators.”

Peacekeeper sexual abuse is most rampant in missions operating in the continent of Africa, where thousands of “peacekeeper babies” are born to traumatized mothers following rape during conflict.

Now on top of UN peacekeeper sexual abuse in Central African Rep come "peacekeeper babies." https://t.co/X3xbRpb2yN pic.twitter.com/VhfvpOpbbu

— Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth) February 28, 2016

The fact that the U.N. has adopted measures to tackle peacekeeper sexual abuse in conflict is not unanimously welcomed by member nations, with Egypt, Russia, and Senegal having argued that the new policy “amounts to collective punishment.” and the onus for sexual abuse should be placed firmly on individual perpetrators.

[Image by John Moore/Getty Images]