Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping Operations: The United Nations’ Institutional Efforts to Effectively Increase Peacekeepers’ Protection of Civilian Populations
Abstract
In 2003, the United Nations began an institutional-wide effort to combat sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) through its introduction of the UN Secretary-General’s 2003 Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse bulletin. The 2003 Bulletin was meant to establish stronger norms and measures to better prevent and address SEA in UN operations through iterating a zero-tolerance policy and codes of conduct that explicitly prohibit SEA. Part of this institutional shift was the UN’s attempt to increase peacekeepers’ adherence to their mandated duty to protect civilians. This thesis focuses on the impact of the 2003 Bulletin on influencing peacekeepers’ conduct in peacekeeping missions by comparing a case study pre- and post- the 2003 Bulletin. In using a comparative case design and process tracing, I will determine and compare the effectiveness and accountability of the UN’s investigation into the 2003 West Africa SEA cases and the 2014 Central African Republic cases. My findings will answer the question: how effective was the UN Secretary-General’s 2003 Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse bulletin in establishing norms and measures to reform peacekeepers’ sexual misconduct in operations.
Subject Area
International Relations
Recommended Citation
Edwards, Safiyyah Yasmeen, "Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping Operations: The United Nations’ Institutional Efforts to Effectively Increase Peacekeepers’ Protection of Civilian Populations" (2022). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI29206167.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI29206167
