Analysis & Opinions - Aljazeera

UN Peacekeepers: Keeping the Peace or Preventing It?

| May 02, 2017

The UN peacekeepers' capacity to commit rape with impunity undermines prospects for sustainable peace around the world.

Last month'sAssociated Press (AP) report on the estimated 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and United Nations personnel around the world wasn't precisely breaking news. Allegations of serious misconduct directed by peacekeeping troops have dogged the UN for years. But the AP report contained several testimonies from the victims of Sri Lankan peacekeepers, who sexually abused and raped children during the UN Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and these searing testimonies once again highlighted the cost of impunity for sexual violence by UN personnel.

Beyond a blemish on the reputation of the UN, these violations fuel a culture of violence that undermines the potential for sustainable peace....

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Gowrinathan, Nimmi and Kate Cronin-Furman.“UN Peacekeepers: Keeping the Peace or Preventing It? .” Aljazeera, May 2, 2017.

The Authors

Nimmi Gowrinathan

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