Allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by United Nations peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia, Haiti and elsewhere have tarnished the reputation of the world Organization. Speakers at a recent meeting at UN Headquarters outlined a "zero-tolerance" policy toward this problem and discussed innovative ways to fight it, including DNA sampling and an "anti-prostitution campaign" for 2007.

The UN will create opportunities for recreation for peacekeepers as part of the effort to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. Peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2005. Credit/Christophe Boulierac-UN Photo

Secretary-General Kofi Annan told some 150 participants at the High Level Conference on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and NGO Personnel that it is although significant progress has been made on the issue, “we have really only begun to tackle this egregious problem”. He lamented that a “small number of individuals” undermined the “admirable and upstanding behaviour of the majority of United Nations staff and the uniformed personnel who serve alongside them”. Civilian and military UN personnel had breached UN standards by having sex with adult prostitutes, and had committed crimes such as rape, paedophilia and human trafficking, said Mr. Annan. “All of this is utterly immoral, and completely at odds with our mission. Our behaviour should be something that others can emulate, and be judged against”.

Mr. Annan reiterated his "zero-tolerance" policy toward sexual abuse, saying that UN staff members who commit such acts are being fired, and uniformed peacekeeping personnel are being sent home and barred from future service in the United Nations. He also urged senior leaders to endorse the "Statement of Commitment on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN and Non-UN Personnel", which spells out ten concrete steps to achieving that goal, including incorporating UN standards on sexual exploitation and abuse in induction materials and training courses for UN personnel, and preventing perpetrators from being hired for UN activities.

The Secretary-General's adviser on sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel, Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein of Jordan, spoke of an innovative way to prevent abuse: DNA sampling. One possibility is that "anyone who serves in the field provides a sample of their DNA and on completion of duty that sample is returned to them. It makes investigations easier and it is a considerable deterrent".

According to the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), between 1 January 2004 and 21 November 2006, the United Nations investigated allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse involving 319 peacekeeping personnel in all missions, resulting in the dismissal of 18 civilians and the repatriation of 17 police and 144 military personnel.

"There has been a major change in the past five years regarding sexual abuse and exploitation in peacekeeping missions", said Iain Levine, Program Director of Human Rights Watch. He said that UN officials at the 4 December event acknowledged that the Organization did not recognize the scale of the problem in 2002 and 2003, but had now taken responsibility for addressing it. Although there was still much work to be done, it was a "huge and positive step forward" that the UN system and countries contributing troops to peacekeeping missions now recognized that sexual exploitation and abuse are "unacceptable behaviour that has to be addressed in the strongest terms", he said.

"So often, when you have a peacekeeping situation with extreme poverty where women and girls with extremely low standing in society, with very limited economic opportunities and a lack of accountability on the part of peacekeepers, we have seen sexual exploitation and abuse as a result", said Mr. Levine.

Saying that there is also a "supply side" to sexual exploitation and abuse, Jasmine Whitebread, Chief Executive of Save the Children UK, told conference participants that organizations in the field need to "make sure that selling her body is not the only way a young girl can feed herself or her family". These organizations must address the issue of entrenched poverty, she said, and the "inability of families to make a sufficient living after a crisis is over".

Wayne Hayde, Policy Analyst for DPKO, told the UN Chronicle that because of numerous cases of peacekeepers engaging in sexual exploitation, an "anti-prostitution campaign" would take place in 2007. Posters, meetings and training will carry the message that engaging in prostitution is a health risk, damaging to the local population and a breach of UN standards. Mr. Hayde said that this is "going against the grain" to a certain degree, because prostitution is legal in many troop-contributing countries, and would require a "cultural shift" on the part of these peacekeepers.

However, the campaign would also focus on the positive aspects of peacekeeping, invigorating the pride of peacekeepers by highlighting best practices, said Mr. Hayde. He mentioned an Indian contingent in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that had set up a place where members could play games and exercise in a small gym, giving "an example of how much you can do with very little". Through educational campaigns and by providing a broader range of recreational activities at the missions, peacekeepers would be less likely to engage in prostitution, he said.