PEACEKEEPING WATCH:
MONITORING SEXUAL
EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE BY UN PEACEKEEPERS AND THE EFFORTS OF
THE
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO RESPOND
Last updated: 24
July 2006
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Definitions
• DPKO
Compilation of Guidance and Directives on Disciplinary Issues
• DPKO
Briefing on Disciplinary Issues
UN's legacy of shame in
Timor
July 22, 2006 (The Age) United
Nations peacekeepers have abandoned at least 20 babies fathered with
poverty-stricken Timorese women.A UN investigation has also
uncovered a culture of cover-up, in which babies born to
peacekeepers and sex crimes committed by UN staff in the past seven
years have been kept secret because of a "fear of shame and
embarrassment' in the deeply religious country.
To read the rest of the news story,
click
here
New strategy aims to help
victims of sexual exploitation committed by UN staff
13 July 2006
As part of
further efforts by the United Nations to enforce its “zero
tolerance” policy for sexual exploitation and abuse,
Secretary-General Kofi Annan has put forward a draft strategy on
assistance and support to victims of such behaviour by UN staff and
related personnel, including recommendations for medical care and
child maintenance.The strategy represents more than 12 months of
wide-ranging consultations involving UN operations, Member States
and various organizations, and offers a number of specific proposals
to the General Assembly on ways for the UN to deal with the issue of
sexual exploitation and abuse.
To read the draft strategy on
assistance to victims of sexual exploitation, please click
here
•Security Council HOLDS Public Meeting on
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping
Operations
23 February
2006
On 23 February 2006, a public meeting focused on
the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping
operations was convened by the United States, in its capacity as
president of the Security Council in the month of February. During
this meeting, the Council received briefings from the
Under-Secretary- General for Peacekeeping Operations and the Adviser
to the Secretary-General on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN
Peacekeeping Personnel. Council members and other states also made
statements addressing the issue.
For more about this meeting, including
links to statements delivered during the session, please CLICK
HERE
• UN
PeacekEEping chief addressES security council in open debate on
women peace and security
October 27
2005
Around the fifth anniversary of the adoption of
Security Council Resolution 1325, the Security Council, under the
Presidency of Romania, held an Open Debate on Women, Peace and
Security. In addition to all 15 Security Council members, 26 other
UN Member States, 3 UN entities, 2 intergovernmental bodies and 2
civil society representatives made interventions throughout the
day's proceedings. Those addressing the council included Jean Marie
Guehenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations. To
read his statement, please CLICK
HERE
To see a compilation of statements made
during the open debate addressing sexual exploitation and abuse and
related themes in gender and peacekeeping, please CLICK
HERE
•Eradicating
sexual abuse by peacekeeping personnel among main concerns in Fourth
Committee debate
21 October 2005
Sustained
peacebuilding, inter-regional cooperation and the need to eradicate
sexual abuse by United Nations peacekeeping personnel were the main
concerns of delegates, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political
and Decolonization) began its general debate on "A Comprehensive
Review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their
aspects."
For more on the debate and a summary of delegates'
statements, CLICK
HERE
•UN
PEACEKEEPING CHIEF URGES STATES TO POLICE THEIR TROOPS AGAINST SEX
ABUSE
21 October
2005
In a speech to the General Assembly's Fourth Committee
as it began its annual comprehensive review of peacekeeping
operations, Jean-Marie Guéhenno,
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, stressed
that the eradication of sexual exploitation and abuse in United
Nations peacekeeping missions depended on the enforcement of
established standards by troop-contributing countries. He noted that
the Department of Peacekeeping Operations would need the continued
commitment of Member States so as to rid United Nations peacekeeping
of sexual exploitation and abuse, including the solicitation of
prostitutes.
For more on the speech by Jean-Marie
Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations, CLICK
HERE
• Secretary-General's statement on the recall of a
Nigerian unit from MONUC
15
September 2005
Following allegations of sexual
exploitation and abuse by some members of a Formed Police Unit from
Nigeria in Kinshasa, the Government of Nigeria has decided to recall
the unit from the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic
of the Congo (MONUC), without prejudice to the decision of the
United Nations investigation and review process.
For the
related news story : "Nigeria recalls UN Peacekeepers" CLICK
HERE
•SECURITY
COUNCIL HOLDS FIRST-EVER PUBLIC MEETING ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND
ABUSE
31 May 2005
On 31 May 2005, the Security
Council, under the Presidency of Denmark, held its first-ever public
meeting devoted exclusively to sexual exploitation and abuse. The
Council heard from Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), the
Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and
Abuse, and Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations. The Presidential Statement, issued at the
end of the session, was read by Council President Ellen Margrethe
Løj (Denmark).
For the presentation by Prince Zeid
Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein (Jordan), the Secretary-General’s Special
Adviser on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, CLICK
HERE.
For the presentation by Jean-Marie
Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations,
CLICK
HERE.
For the Security Council
Presidential Statement (S/PRST/2005/21), CLICK
HERE.
For the Security Council's Press
Release, "Security Council Condemns 'In Strongest Terms' All Acts of
Sexual Abuse, Exploitation by UN Peacekeeping Personnel"
(SC/8400), CLICK
HERE.
• Comprehensive review on a strategy to eliminate future
sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping
operations
Programme budget implications of draft
resolution A/C.4/59/L.20
Statement submitted by the
Secretary-General in accordance with rule 153 of the rules of
procedure of the General Assembly
Available 11
May, document dated 20 April 2005
The present report
outlines the budgetary implications and/or consequential changes in
the proposed programme budget for the biennium 2004-2005 and the
proposed programme budget for the biennium 2006-2007, as well as the
budgets for the support account for peacekeeping operations, the
United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire, the United
Nations Operation in Burundi, the United Nations Mission in Liberia,
the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, the United
Nations Mission in Sierra Leone and the United Nations Mission in
the Sudan for the period from 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006.
For a related UN news story,
"Additional Staff Needed to Stop Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in
Peacekeeping-UN Report," CLICK HERE.
• NEWS:
GLOBAL:
UN REFORMS AIM TO END SEXUAL ABUSE BY
PEACEKEEPERS
10 May 2005 (IRIN)
When
Roxanna Carrillo came to work at the new United Nations peacekeeping
mission in Burundi in September 2004, she knew she needed to clarify
the standards of behaviour expected of personnel.
• NEWS: Complaints
of Sexual Infractions at UN Last Year Doubled from
2003
5 May 2005 (UN News)
The number of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation
made by and about United Nations personnel in 2004 was more than
double the number reported in 2003, a development that is deeply
distressing, even though contributing factors include clearer
reporting procedures and new response measures, United Nations
Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report
to the General Assembly.
• NEWS: UNMIL
Investigating Alleged Sexual Misconduct by Peacekeepers in Four
Incidents
3 May 2005 - (IRIN)
Allegations
of sexual misconduct by UN peacekeepers serving in Liberia have been
substantiated in four incidents and investigations launched, the
United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) told IRIN on Tuesday.
• NEWS: UN
Probes Allegations of Sexual Exploitation by Peacekeepers in
Liberia
29 April 2005 – (UN News)
The
United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia has been
investigating allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by its
personnel and has sought cooperation from the troop contributing
countries, a UN spokesman said today.
• Report of the Secretary-General on Special measures
for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual
abuse
15 April 2005
The present report is
submitted in compliance with General
Assembly resolution 57/306 of 15 April 2003, in which
the Assembly requested the SecretaryGeneral to maintain data on
investigations into sexual exploitation and related offences. The
report presents data on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse
in the United Nations system in the period from January to December
2004. It also describes progress made in the creation and
implementation of measures designed to prevent sexual exploitation
and abuse, and measures for processing allegations.
•
Report
of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and its Working
Group on the 2005 resumed session
(A/59/19/Add.1)
15 April 2005
The Special
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations met in a 2005 resumed session
(4-8 April 2005) to review Prince Zeid's report “A comprehensive
strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United
Nations peacekeeping operations” (see A/59/710).
This report is the outcome document of the resumed session and
outlines those recommendations introduced by Zeid which the C-34 has
adopted, as well as the C-34's own proposals and recommendations in
response to the actions proposed in Zeid's report.
For the draft General Assembly
resolution on a "Comprehensive review on a strategy to eliminate
future sexual exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping operations"
(A/C.4/59/L.20), CLICK HERE.
For the Programme budget
implications of the draft resolution A/C.4/59/L.20 (A/C.4/59/L.21),
CLICK HERE.
•
Presentation by Jean-Marie Guéhenno,
Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations, to the 2005 resumed session of the Special Committee
on Peacekeeping Operations regarding their review of the report “A
comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and
abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations”
(A/59/710)
4 April 2005
•
Presentation by H.R.H. Prince Zeid Ra'ad
Al-Hussein*, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the UN to the
Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations regarding their review
of his report “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual
exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations”
(A/59/710)
4 April 2005
*Prince Zeid is the
Secretary-General's Advisor on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN
peacekeeping personnel.
• NEWS:
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS BEGINS REVIEW OF REPORT
ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
4 April 2005 - (UN Press
Release, GA/PK/186)
Meeting today in a reconvened 2005
session to consider the United Nations first-ever comprehensive
report on the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by United
Nations peacekeeping personnel, the Special Committee on
Peacekeeping embarked on a tight timetable for reviewing the report
and submitting its findings to the Fifth Committee (Administrative
and Budgetary) before the end of May to enable appropriate action by
the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth
session.
• un special committee on peacekeeping
operations (C-34) begins discussion on prince zeid's
report
4 April 2005
The C-34
reconvened on 4 April to review Prince Zeid's report on "A
comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and
abuse in UN peacekeeping operations," which the C-34 had requested
in their February 2005 report. "The 113-member team is scheduled to
complete the review and submit its findings to the Assembly's
administrative and budgetary committee before the end of May, to
enable "appropriate action" to be taken by the 59th session of the
General Assembly" (source: IRIN).
After hearing from
Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations, Jean-Marie
Guéhenno, the C-34 reconvened its Working Group which will be
meeting until 8 April 2005.
• NEWS: "No
Go" Zones to Prevent Sex Abuse by U.N.
Peacekeepers
4 Apri 2005 (IPS)
As charges
mount of sexual abuse and child molestation by U.N. peacekeepers,
the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has drawn up a list
of "no go" zones barring visits by blue-helmeted soldiers and
civilian staff.
• Report
released on "A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual
exploitation and abuse in UN peacekeeping
operations"
24 March 2005
This report was
prepared by the Secretary-General's Special Advisor on addressing
sexual exploitation and abuse, Jordan's UN Ambassador Prince Zeid,
upon the request made by the Special Committee on Peacekeeping
Operations in its 2005 report.
The report in the 6 official UN
languages is available at: http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=a/59/710
To read the Secretary-General's
statement, delivered after he forwarded the report to the General
Assembly, CLICK
HERE.
• secretary-general's REPORT: In larger freedom:
towards development, security and human rights for all
-
references to sexual exploitation and abuse
21 March
2005
... 113. Since the rule of
law is an essential element of lasting peace, United Nations
peacekeepers and peacebuilders have a solemn responsibility to
respect the law themselves, and especially to respect the rights of
the people whom it is their mission to help. In the light of recent
allegations of misconduct by United Nations administrators and
peacekeepers, the United Nations system should reaffirm its
commitment to respect, adhere to and implement international law,
fundamental human rights and the basic standards of due process. I
will work to strengthen the internal capacity of the United Nations
to exercise oversight of peacekeeping operations, and I remind
Member States of their obligation to prosecute any members of their
national contingents who commit crimes or offences in the States
where they are deployed. I am especially troubled by
instances in which United Nations peacekeepers are alleged to have
sexually exploited minors and other vulnerable people, and I have
enacted a policy of “zero tolerance” towards such offences that
applies to all personnel engaged in United Nations operations. I
strongly encourage Member States to do the same with respect to
their national contingents.
For the full report, visit: http://www.un.org/largerfreedom/contents.htm
• NEWS: UN
Turns on the Heat in Congo Abuse Probe
18 March
2005 (Reuters)
The United Nations fired one employee and
suspended six without pay among 17 civilian staff being investigated
on allegations of sexual abuse in the Congo, a UN spokesperson said
on Thursday.
• STATEMENT:
United States Outraged at Abuses by U.N.
Peacekeepers in DRC [Printer-friendly
version]
1 March 2005
Prepared Remarks of Kim
Holmes, Assistant Secretary of State Bureau of International
Organization Affairs, Department of State before the Subcommittee on
Africa, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, of the
International Relations Committee, U.S. House of Representatives
• DEPUTY
SECRETARY-GENERAL ON ZERO-TOLERANCE MISSION IN WEST
AFRICA
March 2005
Louise Frechette, the UN
Deputy Secretary-General, is currently touring the UN's peacekeeping
missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast to "drive home the
secretary-general's zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and
abuse."
For UN news coverage of her tour of
UNMIL in Liberia, CLICK
HERE.
For UN news coverage of her tour of UNAMSIL in
Sierra Leone, CLICK
HERE.
• NEWS: UN
PROBING RAPE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PEACEKEEPERS IN
HAITI
24 February 2005 (UN News)
For more media coverage of the rape
allegations in Haiti, CLICK
HERE.
• NEWS: How
the UN was Forced to Tackle Stain on its
Integrity
11 February 2005 (The Independent)
Kate Holt of The Independent was the first to
write about the cases of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN
peacekeepers in DRC. This article recounts her experience of
'breaking the story'.
• PROSECUTIONS
FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE IN DRC
10 February
2005
To-date, the only known prosecution has been by South
Africa against two of its soldiers, and by France against a U.N.
staff member (civilian) who has been jailed on charges of rape and
making pornographic videos of children. [Source:
Reuters]
• LETTER
FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL INTRODUCING NEW
MEASURES FOR UN peacekeeperS IN DRC TO ADDRESS ALLEGATIONS OF
WIDESPREAD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE
9 February 2005
In a 6-page letter to
the UN Security Council, the Secretary-General presented a set of
new measures, put in place last week by MONUC, in response to the
allegations of widespread sexual abuse and exploitation by UN
peacekeepers. The measures include a non-fraternization policy - a
ban on sex with the local population - a curfew for military
contingents, comprehensive training and awareness-raising for all
mission personnel, and proposals for improving recreation and
welfare facilities for peacekeepers. These new measures apply only
to MONUC peacekeepers, and within the mission, they apply
exclusively to military personnel. However, the Secretary-General
does intend for these new measures to have some impact on the other
peacekeeping missions; in an interview with The
Independent, he remarked "I want to use this to send a
message to all the 17 UN peacekeeping missions around the world."
Also, within MONUC, there is a possibility the new measures may be
extended to civilian personnel as well.
In his letter to the Security Council,
the Secretary-General made a special appeal for
100 extra military police and French-speaking qualified
investigators with special skills in sexual exploitation and abuse
cases.
In addition, the letter from the
Secretary-General reviews the different initiatives implemented
to-date by MONUC, DPKO, and other UN actors. These initiatives
include the deployment of a multidisciplinary investigative team
currently in DRC, led by Assistant Secretary-General Angela Kane
(see below), and the establishment of a multidisciplinary Task
Force, based at Headquarters, currently undertaking a variety of
Headquarters and field-oriented initiatives.
RELATED NEWS STORIES:
The
Independent | Reuters
| UN
News story | BBC
news story
•MONUC
REVISES THEIR CODE OF CONDUCT
February
2005
• Remarks by Under Secretary-General for Peacekeeping
Operations to the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations
(C-34) on sexual exploitation and abuse
- Printer-friendly
version -
31 January 2005, UN
Headquarters, New York
Under-Secretary-General for
Peacekeeping Operations, Mr. Jean-Marie Guehenno, opened the C-34
Session with his reflections on the most important developments in
UN peacekeeping in 2004 and their implications for 2005. One of the
three developments he highlighted concerned the allegations of
sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers in the UN
peacekeeping mission in DRC (MONUC).
• REPORT
RELEASED: Investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services
into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the United
Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
Report
of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Office of Internal
Oversight Services
11 January 2005
• NEWS: Peacekeepers' Sexual Abuse of
Local Girls Continuing in DRC, UN Finds
7 January
2005 (UN News)
United Nations peacekeeping troops have
continued the sexual abuse of girls in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo (DRC), the UN's watchdog office says, but peacekeeping
officials say Member States providing the soldiers must send sterner
commanders and toughen the punishment for perpetrators.
For
more news on the investigations of sexual abuse by MONUC
peacekeepers in DRC, CLICK
HERE.
• Press Briefing on OIOS Investigation
in DRC
7 January 2005
(UN)
The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)
investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of
local Congolese women and girls has concluded that the problem was
serious and ongoing, Barbara Dixon, Director of OIOS’s
Investigations Division, told correspondents today. Equally
disturbing, she said, was the lack of a protection and deterrence
programme even now. Briefing correspondents on the findings of
the investigation, Ms. Dixon described the investigation as a
difficult process, especially because of the very general nature of
the allegations investigated.
• Press Breifing on DRC
Report (excerpts)
7
January 2005 (UN)
The press briefing by Under-Secretary
General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Marie Guehenno, and the
head of MONUC, William Lacy Swing, included a discussion of the
findings of the OIOS investigation in MONUC.
To read
the relevant section of the Secretary-General's report on MONUC
addressing exploitation and abuse issues, CLICK
HERE.
• Special
investigative team CURRENTLY in DRC headed by the Assistant
Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management,
Angela Kane. The team, which includes highly specialized civilian
police investigators, will address outstanding allegations against
military and civilian personnel in MONUC
(S/2004/1034).
January 2005
2004
• NEWS: UN probing charges of sex abuse in
drc peacekeeping official says
23 November 2004 (UN)
The United Nations
has dispatched two teams to investigate 150 charges of sexual
exploitation and abuse by civilian and military personnel serving in
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a senior UN
official.
•
Secretary-General’s
Statement on Allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in
MONUC (DRC)
19 November
2004
•
NEWS:
BURUNDI: UN MISSION SETS UP UNITS TO CHECK SEXUAL
ABUSE
15 November 2004 (IRIN)
Following reports
of sexual exploitation of host populations in several peacekeeping
missions in Africa, the UN Mission in Burundi, known as ONUB, has
established a Code of Conduct Unit and appointed a gender adviser to
make sure this problem does not arise in Burundi.
•
CONFIDENTIAL REPORT ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE IN DRC
prepared by Prince Zeid Raad al-Hussein, Jordan's
ambassador to the UN, and the Secretary-General's advisor on the
question of sexual exploitation. Based on a trip to DRC in October
2004, he observed that the exploitation "appears to be significant,
widespread and ongoing." The report details allegations of sexual
misconduct by peacekeepers from Nepal, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia,
South Africa and Uruguay, and lists incidents in which some soldiers
tried to obstruct investigators.
8 November 2004
•
Department of Peacekeeping
Operations/Office of Human Resources Management investigation to
DRC to examine
specific allegations made against several
civilian personnel, suspended pending further investigations.
November 2004
•
Sub-section
on "Preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse by
humanitarian and peacekeeping personnel
in the Secretary-General's Report on women, peace and
security (IV B)
13 October
2004
Accompanying recommendation: (103.) I reaffirm my
conviction that sexual exploitation and sexual abuse are totally
unacceptable forms of behaviour and reiterate my commitment to the
full implementation of the special measures for protection from
sexual exploitation and sexual abuse as set forth in my bulletin. I
further urge Member States, intergovernmental and regional
organizations, international and national aid and civil society
organizations to apply the same standards to peacekeeping personnel,
including military and civilian police.
•
UN'S OFFICE OF INTERNAL OVERSIGHT SERVICES (OIOS)
carries out an investigation of
allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in Bunia, DRC by MONUC
peacekeepers
June-September 2004
•
Secretary-General appointed Prince Zeid Ra'ad
Zeid Al-Hussein, the Permanent Representative of Jordan, as HIS
adviser on ADDRESSING sexual exploitatiON AND ABUSE COMMITTED BY ALL
CATEGORIES OF PERSONNEL IN PEACEKEEPING CONTEXTS
July
2004
•
ANALYSIS: UN Peacekeeping Mission Personnel and
Trafficking in Women
1 July 2004 (last updated)
Stop Violence Against Women Website (STOPVAW) ‘Explore
the Issue’
As covered in the Explore the Issue section of
this website, military and post-combat operations in transitioning
states can create ideal environments for trafficking to flourish, a
phenomenon which has been documented through reports in numerous
countries. In recent years, UN- and NATO -led international
peacekeeping missions stationed in post-conflict zones have been
targeted by the media and human rights watch groups for their
failure to adequately confront the issue of trafficking in their
assigned countries. The current criticisms leveled at UN
peacekeeping operations are twofold. First, in response to evidence
that individual peacekeepers have patronized establishments linked
to trafficking networks, human rights groups have charged that UN
peacekeepers do not face rigorous standards of legal accountability
for their actions. Second, rights advocates argue that UN missions
have not done enough to actively combat trafficking networks. Below
is a summary of current UN standards of accountability and
jurisdiction for peacekeeping missions, and accounts of the UN
Missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo.
•
FINAL REPORT of the Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) - Comprehensive
review of the whole question of peacekeeping operations in all their
aspects: References to Disciplinary Issues
Summer
2004
The final report of the 2004 session of the Special
Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (29 March -16 April 2004)
includes proposals, recommendations and conclusions on disciplinary
issues.
For a compilation of all
gender references found in the 2004 C-34 report, CLICK
HERE (PeaceWomen compilation, August
2004)
•
FINAL
REPORT TO THE INTER-AGENCY STANDING COMMITTEE WORKING GROUP ON THE
ACTIVITIES OF THE IASC TASK FORCE ON PROTECTION FROM SEXUAL
EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE IN HUMANITARIAN
CRISES
June 2004
"The
IASC Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in
Humanitarian Crises was established in May 2002 and mandated with a
finite set of tasks by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee and the
Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs (ECHA). These tasks have
now been completed, and the Task Force is set to close at the end of
June 2004...4. This report highlights some of the key achievements
in addressing the grave failure of protection that has led to sexual
exploitation and abuse and outlines some of the concrete steps still
needed to prevent such abuses in the future."
•
TOOLS AND GUIDELINES ISSUED FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S BULLETIN
May
2004
The IASC Task Force, working
on behalf of the Executive Committee for Humanitarian Affairs, has
been tasked with coordinating implementation of the
Secretary-General's Bulletin in the field, including peace
operations. To this end, the IASC Task Force issued a number of
tools and guidelines for use in the field. These include:
-
Terms of Reference for In-country Focal Points on Sexual
Exploitation and Abuse
- Terms of Reference for In-country
Network on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
- Model Information
Sheet for Local Communities
- Model Complaints Referral Form
- Scenarios Covering Prohibited Acts
- Implementation
Guidelines
• REPORT of the
Secretary-General on the protection of civilians in armed
conflict
28 May 2004
This is the
Secretary-General's fourth report on the protection of civilians in
armed conflict, which was requested by the President of the Security
Council in his statement of 20 December 2002 (S/PRST/2002/41). In
his report, the Secretary-General provides a brief update on the
implementation of his bulletin
on "special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and
sexual abuse" (ST/SGB/2003/13) and recommends actions to be taken by
the Security Council and UN Member States:
"14. The
deeply disturbing issue of sexual exploitation and abuse of women
and children in armed conflict by United Nations personnel — both
civilian staff and uniformed peacekeeping personnel — has been the
focus of considerable attention since my last report. In October
2003 a Secretary-General’s bulletin on special measures for
protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse
(ST/SGB/2003/13) was promulgated. The bulletin sets out minimum
standards of behaviour expected of all United Nations personnel, as
well as measures necessary to maintain an environment that prevents
sexual exploitation and abuse. Since its issuance, all parts of
the United Nations system with a field presence have been working to
establish a coherent system for implementation of the bulletin at
the field level. Human trafficking, which is a related issue of
increasing concern, is being addressed by the Department of
Peacekeeping Operations as a policy priority.
...30. In such violent and distressing
circumstances, peacekeepers and United Nations staff must
demonstrate exemplary personal conduct and behaviour. As a follow-up
to the Secretary-General’s bulletin on sexual exploitation and
abuse, transparent monitoring and accountability structures will be
established to ensure a gender-sensitive response to allegations of
sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as complaint, reporting and
follow-up procedures. The bulletin should also inspire the inclusion
of gender considerations as a priority in peacekeeping and
humanitarian missions. The bulletin is not binding on uniformed
personnel, however, as they fall under the jurisdiction of their own
Governments. In order to be truly effective, therefore, the efforts
within the United Nations system need to be reinforced by
demonstrated action on the part of national Governments whose
military and police personnel serve in peacekeeping operations,
including punitive measures against offending personnel. I encourage
the Security Council to urge personnel contributing countries to
cooperate fully in this effort. Minimum standards of behaviour
required of peacekeepers, based on the Secretary-General’s bulletin,
should be incorporated into the standards and codes of conduct for
national armed forces and police forces, and information should be
provided on any legal action taken against those charged with
violations, an area in which the Department of Peacekeeping
Operations has received woefully inadequate information.
• NEWS: The United Nations mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) is currently investigating
allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of civilians, including
minors, by its staff serving in the northeastern town of
Bunia.
• REPORT of the
Secretary-General on "Special measures for protection from sexual
exploitation and sexual abuse"
23 April
2004
The present report is submitted in compliance with
General Assembly resolution 57/306 of 15 April 2003 (on
"Investigation into sexual exploitation of refugees by aid workers
in West Africa), in which the Assembly requested the
Secretary-General to maintain data on investigations into sexual
exploitation and related offences. The report sets out data
collected on the occurrence of cases of sexual exploitation and
abuse within the United Nations system and on the efforts under way
to prevent such acts. The report also describes the progress made in
the development of guidelines and tools to establish a reporting
process that is sensitive to the needs of victims and towards the
promotion of a culture in which sexual exploitation and abuse are
not tolerated.
• BRIEFING on Disciplinary Issues: Sexual
Exploitation and Sexual Abuse
19 March 2004,
DPKO
This briefing was delivered by the
Peacekeeping Best Practices Unit to the Special Committee on
Peacekeeping Operations at the Briefing on Disciplinary Issues on 19
March, 2004. It describes key elements and definitions of sexual
abuse and exploitation, provides DPKO’s responses to them, and
outlines the implementation of disciplinary directives related to
these issues. From: http://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/lessons/
The
Department for Peacekeeping Operations officially presented a compilation
of “Guidance
and Directives of Disciplinary Issues for All Categories of
Personnel Serving in UN Peacekeeping and Other Field
Missions,” in the form of a CD-ROM, to all
peacekeeping-contributing countries during this
briefing.
2003
• SECRETARY-GENERAL'S
BULLETIN ON "Special measures for protection from sexual
exploitation and sexual abuse
(ST/SGB/2003/13)
October 2003
The
bulletin sets out minimum standards of behaviour expected of
all staff of the UN, including staff of "separately
administered organs and programmes of the UN," as well as measures
necessary to maintain an environment that prevents sexual
exploitation and abuse.
The SGB is based on the "6 Core
Principles of a Code of Conduct" developed by the IASC Task Force on
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse as minimum standards
of behaviour for all humanitarian staff.
While DPKO has said that it
expects uniformed personnel to abide by the standards set out in the
Secretary-General's Bulletin (2003), strictly speaking, as a UN
regulation, it only applies to civilian personnel. Yet, while the
directives for uniformed personnel list sexual exploitation and
abuse as a form of serious misconduct, one of the major weaknesses
is that the directives do not define sexual exploitation for
uniformed personnel in the same way that the Secretary-General's
Bulletin on sexual abuse and exploitation does for
civilians.
• GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION on "Investigation into
sexual exploitation of refugees by aid workers in West
Africa"
(57/306)
15 April 2003
In
this resolution, the General Assembly requested the
Secretary-General to maintain data on investigations into sexual
exploitation and related offences.
2002
• INTRODUCTION OF THE MISSION-SPECIFIC CODE OF CONDUCT
FOR THE UN
MISSION IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO (MONUC)
December
2002
Democratic Republic of the
Congo
Relevant to all members of
the civilian and military components of MONUC, the MONUC Code of
Conduct is meant to "provide guidance on the particular conditions
and sensitivities in MONUC's area of operations." It "strictly
prohibits...any act of sexual abuse and/or exploitation of members
of the local community, including children." In addition, unlike the
generic Code of Conduct, the MONUC Code of Conduct provides a
detailed definition of sexual exploitation and abuse.
• COMBINED
RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE UN SECRETARY-GENERAL AND
UNIFEM
October
2002
This list compiles the recommendations made by the UN
Secretary-General in his Report and Study on Women, Peace and
Security, and in UNIFEM's Independent Experts' Assessment
entitled Women, War and Peace to address the issues of
peacekeeper violations and discipline.
•
IASC
Task Force Mission Report: Liberia and Sierra
Leone
21-31 October 2002
On Peacekeeping
Forces: "The original report identified the behavior of Peacekeeping
troops as a concern. Despite what we learnt from UNAMSIL, we believe
that more could be done to issue clear guidelines prohibiting
exploitative sex, including sex with children. We were encouraged by
efforts made to prevent abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers. The
Mission acknowledges that responsibility for discipline of PK troops
lies with their national governments and not with the UN system. It
is vital that the UN system at global level, from DPKO as well as at
country level engage in dialogue with troop contributing countries
to advocate for and uphold the same standards of behavior being
adopted by the international humanitarian community. The Mission was
encouraged by the establishment of a telephone hotline to report
misconduct by peacekeepers. However it suspects that few victims
will have the means to make use of such a system. Continued
monitoring will be essential."
• REPORT OF THE Secretary-General on the activities of
the Office of Internal Oversight Services: Investigation into Sexual
Exploitation of Refugees by Aid Workers in West AfricA
11 October
2002
"Late in November 2001, the Office of Internal
Oversight Services (OIOS) was asked by the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to review allegations
of sexual exploitation of female refugees by international and
national aid workers, specifically regarding United Nations and
non-governmental organization (NGO) staff and peacekeepers in three
West African countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The
allegation of widespread sexual exploitation arose from a report by
two consultants who had been commissioned by UNHCR and Save the
Children (UK) to study the question of sexual exploitation and
violence in the refugee communities in the three countries..."
• REPORT
OF THE IASC TASK FORCE ON PROTECTION FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND
ABUSE IN HUMANITARIAN CRISES
13 June
2002
"This report reflects the deliberations and
analysis of the members of the Task Force, as well as the opinions
and experience of other actors from the UN system, NGOs, donors and
other Member States, gathered through a series of
consultations...The attached Plan of Action outlines a number of
steps that the Task Force believes must be taken by the humanitarian
community towards preventing sexual exploitation and abuse and
responding to survivor needs. This plan is not a blueprint. It is
part of an ongoing effort of the humanitarian community and will be
refined on the basis of experience, pilot activities in selected
countries and field visits to affected locations...Once approved by
the IASC, the Plan of Action will apply to all IASC members and
standing invitees. However, it is hoped that the Plan of Action will
also have broader application. It will be an important guide for
monitoring and evaluating progress made in efforts to eliminate
sexual exploitation and abuse. It is hoped that it will form the
basis for further discussions within the humanitarian community,
with host governments, donors, peacekeepers and
others engaged in working with and for populations affected by
humanitarian crises, on the long-term measures and changes that need
to be introduced to address the problem of sexual exploitation and
abuse. It could also be used by donors for establishing requirements
to be eligible..."
• ESTABLISHMENT of the UNAMSIL Personnel Conduct
Committee (UPCC)
March 2002
UN
Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL)
The role of the UPCC is to
promote awareness among all national and international staff -
civilian and military - of the UN Code of Conduct and issues of
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV),
respond to all reported allegations and ensure that "appropriate
action is taken." The UPCC was established in response to a set of
complaints from three women to UNAMSIL in April 2000 that "uniformed
peacekeepers were going around the houses in the Aberdeen area
offering US $1 notes to under-aged individuals in exchange for
sexual favours."
(From Paul Higate, Gender and Peacekeeping Case Studies: DRC and Sierra
Leone, March 2004 )
For a press
release announcing the UPCC, CLICK HERE.
• establishment of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee
(IASC) Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse
in Humanitarian Crises
March
2002
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC)
established this Task Force following allegations of sexual abuse
and exploitation by aid workers and peacekeepers in refguee camps in
West Africa. "The Task Force was mandated, within the overall
objective of strengthening and enhancing the protection and care of
women and children in situations of humanitarian crisis and
conflict, to make recommendations that specifically aim to eliminate
sexual exploitation and abuse by humanitarian personnel and the
misuse of humanitarian assistance for sexual
purposes."
The Task Force is co-chaired by OCHA
and UNICEF and comprises WFP, UNHCR, OHCHR, DPKO, UNOPS, UNDP,
OSAGI, InterAction and SCHR (Oxfam and Save the Children/UK).
• REPORT on Sexual Violence and Exploitation: The
Experience of Refugee Children in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra
Leone
Unofficially released February 2002,
Geneva
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save
the Children Fund UK (SCFUK)
This report detailed cases of
sexual exploitation and abuse and gender-based violence, experienced
by children in refugee camps in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,
perpetrated by humanitarian and UN peacekeeping personnel...
In the case of Sierra Leone,
documented cases of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) being
committed by humanitarian workers and peacekeepers go as far back as
1995 (Paul Higate, Gender and Peacekeeping Case Studies: DRC and Sierra
Leone, March 2004 )
• Guidelines for the conduct of peacekeepers
were not circulated until 1995. From 1948-1995, there was no formal
code of conduct.
|
Sexual Exploitation
"Any actual or
attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential
power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not
limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from
the sexual exploitation of another" |
Sexual Abuse
"Actual or threatened
physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or
under unequal or coercive conditions" |
|
|
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