African Union Investigating Peacekeeper Abuses

The African Union has established a commission to investigate accusations that its peacekeepers in western Darfur have been sexually abusing civilian women. Specific allegations include an 11-year-old girl’s claim that she was paid for sex then raped by an AU soldier. The AU describes the allegations as “disturbing,” but notes that similar allegations have been investigated and found meritless before.

Regardless of the truth of these particular allegations, there is no question that sexual abuse of civilians is a recurring problem with peacekeeping forces — the actions of UN peacekeepers in the DRC perhaps the most notorious example. Indeed, the Security Council held a public meeting on the issue last March, where Jean-Marie Guhenno, the Under-Secretary for Peackeeping Forces, revealed that in 2005 alone the UN investigated sexual-abuse accusations against 296 peackeeping personnel and dismissed or repatriated 170 of them, including 6 military commanders — which means that the allegations were found credible in an appalling 57% of the cases.

To its credit, the UN has adopted a variety a reforms designed to reduce the problem of peacekeeper abuse. From a May 2005 report by Under-Secretary Guhenno:

Over the past year, field missions have put in place a wide array of measures toprevent misconduct and to enforce UN standards of conduct. For instance, on the prevention side, missions in Cote d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone and Liberia provide induction training on UN standards of conduct relating to sexual exploitation and abuse. My Department intends to make such training mandatory for all members of peacekeeping operations on arrival in a mission.

Late last year, DPKO issued a policy on human trafficking. This is now accompanied by a resource manual on the issue, which includes a training module and practical guidance for peacekeeping operations on how best to combat human trafficking. In early 2005, awareness-raising posters on sexual exploitation and abuse and brochures on human trafficking were distributed to all missions and are displayed in offices in capitals and in the field, as well as military barracks. With regard to enforcement of UN standards of conduct, field missions in Côte
d’Ivoire, Liberia, the Congo, Ethiopia, Kosovo and Timor-Leste have established lists of premises and areas frequented by prostitutes which are now out-of-bounds to all personnel. We have a network of focal points on sexual exploitation and abuse in all missions to facilitate receipt of allegations as well as telephone hotlines in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

As was mentioned in the Secretary-General’s letter to the Council of 9 February 2005 on the United Nations’ Mission in the Congo, MONUC, this mission has put in place a number of mission-specific measures to minimize misconduct such as a requirement that contingent members wear their uniforms at all times. Our Congo mission is also strengthening managerial accountability by requiring regional heads of office to come up with concrete workplans on how they will prevent sexual exploitation and abuse.

At Headquarters, DPKO has established a task force aimed at developing guidance and tools for peacekeeping operations to address sexual exploitation and abuse effectively. For instance, we are developing a database, in coordination with the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), to track and monitor allegations and investigations as well as follow-up action. DPKO is also developing internal communications messages to remind peacekeeping personnel of our duty of care and why we serve.