Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by International Peacekeepers - An accompanying report to the ICAI review of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative

This short report is a companion to ICAI’s January 2020 review of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI). It explores the UK’s efforts to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in international peacekeeping settings, including by soldiers, police and civilian personnel. SEA in peacekeeping is a form of conflict-related sexual violence, but it is treated as a separate issue by both the UN and the UK government. At the request of government, it was therefore decided to release the findings on this aspect of the review as a separate report. ICAI is also planning a wider review of safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the aid sector – beyond international peacekeeping contexts – in 2021.1

During the period covered by this review (2014-19), the UK’s efforts to tackle SEA in international peacekeeping were supported by small-scale aid projects managed by the former Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO),2 mainly in the form of funding for UN reform initiatives and staff positions, and training programmes for international peacekeepers run by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). In view of the relatively limited scale of these investments and the difficulty of measuring the results of activities of this kind, the review is not scored.

SEA in peacekeeping is a serious and persistent problem, with devastating impact on survivors. Allegations of SEA have surfaced in many international peacekeeping missions around the world, including in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Kosovo, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan and Timor-Leste. In recent years, the UN has launched a number of reforms designed to prevent SEA, hold perpetrators accountable and protect survivors. However, UN internal reports have found serious shortcomings in the conduct of investigations, while continuing legal obstacles to prosecution contribute to a culture of impunity within international peacekeeping contingents.

Our review found that the UK’s “leading” work to tackle the widespread problem of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by international peacekeepers is relevant and important, but could be strengthened with more focus on survivors and a stronger approach to learning. The review is not scored, but makes two recommendations for the government to take forward.