Gender and Peacekeeping News

Women in blue helmets
May 11, 2008 – (Guardian Newsblog) During the UN operation in Somalia, local women who ventured outside the refugee camps to collect firewood were frequently raped by peacekeepers. In Cambodia, the prostitute population of Phnom Penh increased from 6,000 to 25,000 while the UN was present. Elsewhere, UN soldiers have been known to establish their own prostitution rackets. When these problems have been brought to the notice of the UN leadership, complaints have often been fobbed off with the excuse that "boys will be boys".

Rwanda: Kigali conference calls for more women at all levels of peacekeeping operations
April 1, 2008 - (UNIFEM) Participants of a high-level conference organized by UNIFEM and the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) have issued a declaration calling for programmed increases of the proportion of women in recruitment and training for peacekeeping operations, proactive gender training programmes for peacekeepers and their organizations, integration of mission-specific gender training in pre-deployment programmes, reaffirmation and strengthening of the Zero Tolerance Policy for Acts of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and information sharing among peacekeeping contingents and troops to promote best practices in preventing and responding to sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Seminar “Challenges and Opportunities in Peace Operations: The Incorporation of Women”
March 13, 2008 - (UN-INSTRAW) UN-INSTRAW participated in the “International Seminar - Challenges and Opportunities in Peace Operations: The Incorporation of Women”, organized by the Network for Security and Defence in Latin America (Red de Seguridad y Defensa de América Latina - RESDAL) and the Training Institute for the Sustainable Development (Instituto de Enseñanza para el Desarrollo Sostenible – IEPADES), on March 11th and 12th in Antigua (Guatemala).

Liberia: UN envoy welcomes new batch of female Indian police officers
February 8, 2008 – United Nations envoy Ellen Margrethe Løj has welcomed a new group of female Indian police officers to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia, highlighting the impact of their presence on the women of the West African nation which is seeking to rebuild after a devastating 14-year civil war.

press conference by headquarters, field mission gender advisers
January 18, 2008 - (UN Press Release) The establishment of gender units in all United Nations peace missions had been an important outgrowth of the Security Council’s adoption of its landmark resolution 1325 (2000), which emphasizes increased participation by women at all levels of decision-making in formal peace processes, Comfort Lamptey, Gender Adviser in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations said today.

Gender issues in UN peacekeeping focus of New York gathering
January 16, 2008 – (UN News Centre) Gender advisers and focal points from all United Nations peacekeeping missions are meeting at the world body’s Headquarters in New York on issues related to the specific needs of men and women in post-conflict situations.

UNMIL sex abuse declines
January 4, 2008 - (afrol News) - There has been a sharp decline in the number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) staff in the last half of last year, a report revealed.

DR Congo: UN inquiry opens into sexual abuse allegations against peacekeeper
November 17, 2007 –(MONUC) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced today that an independent investigation has begun into allegations of violent sexual abuse by a soldier serving with the force in the troubled northeast of the country.

Senior UN official in Haiti urges action to prevent sexual abuse
October 10, 2007 - (UN News) A senior official serving with the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Haiti (MINUSTAH) has called for action to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel.

U.N. warns Moroccans on sex abuse
July 23, 2007 - (AP) The United Nations is investigating Moroccan peacekeepers suspected of sexually abusing girls under age 18 in Ivory Coast and possibly leaving some of them pregnant, a U.N. spokeswoman said Sunday.

Recommendations on Peacekeeping operations approved by fourth committee, Including proposed ‘United Nations standards of conduct’
July 17 2007 - (UNDPI) The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) this morning approved the proposals and recommendations of the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations contained in its annual report, and recommended that United Nations standards of conduct be included in the revised draft model memorandum of understanding between the United Nations and troop contributing countries.

U.N. urged to hire more women
1 June 2007 – (The Washington Times) Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and 19 other female ministers, diplomats and lawmakers from around the world called on the United Nations yesterday to appoint more women in high-level positions, including as special envoys to trouble spots.

UN Envoy stresses importance of women’s participation in society; emphasizes need for secure environment for investment
27 April 2007 - (UNMIL) The UN Envoy in Liberia, Alan Doss, joined by Margibi County Superintendent, Levi Piah, on Thursday commissioned the newly-constructed Women’s Skills Training Centre, at the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) Village, about 12 kilometers outside Monrovia. Its construction was made possible through funding from UNMIL’s Quick Impact Projects (QIP) programme.

Congo-Kinshasa: First Training for Female Journalists in Maniema
30 March 2007 - (MONUC) On March 23 and 24 2007, the MONUC Maniema Public Information Section, in collaboration with the community radio GUNDA FM, organized a training seminar in the room of the ICG in Kindu for female journalists in the province. The audio visual press initiative, which is the first of its kind, involved over 20 female journalists from Kindu, Kalima and Kasongo.

All-female unit keeps peace in Liberia
21 March 2007 - (The Christian Science Monitor) Behind rows of razor wire, a machine gun peeking over the sandbags is trained on the road below. This is just one of many fortified compounds in the Congo Town suburb of Liberia's war-ravaged capital, Monrovia. But this compound is different, because everyone inside – from the armed guards to the cooks responsible for the inviting scent of curry that wafts around at lunchtime – is female.

UN Police workshop in Italy is latest effort to attract more female officers into the force
17 March 2007 – (UN News Centre) Continuing its efforts to attract more female officers into United Nations policing, the division is organizing a 4-day conference at the UN Training Centre in Italy next week, because despite increases in the number of women in operations worldwide, there are still too few, warns the world body's top police officer.

U.N. Asks for More Women Peacekeepers
Mar 16 2007 -(IPS) When the United Nations commemorated International Women's Day last week, its Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) aired a longstanding complaint: a woeful shortage of women military personnel in U.N. missions overseas.

Give women a chance at peace
March 15, 2007 – (The Des Moines Register) Looking at the state of the world today, one cannot help but wonder why we are in a war against terror, a war in Iraq and a war in Afghanistan and faced with the possibility of a nuclear Iran and North Korea. Maybe it's time to give someone else a chance at the helm. I'm not talking about new leadership in Washington, but rather giving the "other gender" a chance — and a role — at making the world a better place.

WOMEN PEACEKEEEPERS CAN WORK WITH FEMALE VICTIMS, SET EXAMPLE FOR MALE COLLEAGUES
12 March 2007 - (VOA) Just one month ago the United Nations deployed its first all-women peacekeeping unit, a group of trained policewomen from India now serving in Liberia. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports this team is a sign of the continuing evolution of women in peacekeeping missions.

UNMIL Releases 2006 Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Report
09 March, 2007 - (UNMIL) The UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, has released its SexualExploitation and Abuse (SEA) report for 2006, showing a decrease in the number of allegations reported during the year

Renewal of Liberia's UN Peace Keeping Mandate Crucial to Women, Says new Study
07 March, 2007 - (ActionAid USA) The renewal of the UN Security Council mandate to maintain a peacekeeping force in Liberia comes at a crucial time, if women in the country are to be protected from violence, according to a new report by ActionAid. Currently, rape is the most reported serious crime in the country.

U.N. envoy says peacekeepers need equality lesson
09 Febuary 2007 - (Reuters) The outgoing U.N. Ivory Coast envoy said on Friday the world body should use an "enforcer" to teach peacekeepers how to treat women, while combating a lack of urgency and awareness among its staff.

Liberia gets all-female peacekeeping force
31 January 2007 - (BBC News) A unit of United Nations peacekeepers with a difference has arrived for work in Liberia - they are all women. More than 100 female peacekeepers from India are there to work as an armed police unit to help stabilise Liberia which, after years of war, is trying to rebuild its own police force from scratch.

UN hosts meeting aimed at tackling problems of sexual abuse by field personnel
December 4, 2006 – (UN News Centre) DNA samples, new international pacts and assistance to victims were among the measures discussed today at a conference on preventing sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations and non-governmental organization (NGO) personnel, where Secretary-General Kofi Annan set a strict tone by declaring that no one should be above the law.

Fears over Haiti child 'abuse'
30 November 2006 (BBC News)- A BBC investigation commissioned as part of Generation Next - a week of programmes focusing on people under 18 - has uncovered fresh allegations of the sexual abuse of children by United Nations peacekeepers. Mike Williams reports from Port au Prince, Haiti.

Women Want More Leadership Roles in UN Peacekeeping Missions
31 October 2006 (Voice of America) Today (October 31st) is the sixth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security. Adopted in 2000, the resolution deals with the role of women in peacekeeping and peace building. One of the largest UN peacekeeping operations to date is in Africa. Uganda-born Rachel Mayanja is the special advisor to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on gender issues and advancement of women. She tells VOA English to Africa reporter James Butty that women are underrepresented at all levels of UN peace support operations.

Annan further enhances ‘zero tolerance’ of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers
13 October 2006 (UN News) – Reinforcing further his “zero tolerance” policy for sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeeping forces, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a second group of legal experts to ensure that the rules are binding on contingent members and applicable to all categories of peacekeeping personnel.

Indian women to keep Liberia peace
September 8 2006 (BBC News) - Under a blazing midday sun, more than a hundred Indian women are being put through their paces in a special training facility north of the capital, Delhi.Smartly attired in brilliant blue battle fatigues, this is an all-female police unit that is shortly to be deployed alongside UN peacekeepers in Liberia.

UN probes child prostitute ring
17 August 2006 (BBC News) - The United Nations is investigating allegations that some of its peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have used child prostitutes.

UN's legacy of shame in Timor
July 22, 2006 (The Age) United Nations peacekeepers have abandoned at least 20 babies fathered with poverty-stricken Timorese women.A UN investigation has also uncovered a culture of cover-up, in which babies born to peacekeepers and sex crimes committed by UN staff in the past seven years have been kept secret because of a "fear of shame and embarrassment' in the deeply religious country.

AU in Darfur lacks women, rape training - Amnesty
July 18, 2006 (Reuters) — Darfur peacekeepers should include more women and should be trained in women’s rights to help reduce widespread rape and sexual slavery, rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday.

New strategy aims to help victims of sexual exploitation committed by UN staff
13 July 2006 –(UN News) As part of further efforts by the United Nations to enforce its “zero tolerance” policy for sexual exploitation and abuse, Secretary-General Kofi Annan has put forward a draft strategy on assistance and support to victims of such behaviour by UN staff and related personnel, including recommendations for medical care and child maintenance.

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: An update from UNMIL
June 7, 2006 - (UNMIL Press Release) The United Nations and UNMIL are committed to preventing and sanctioning misconduct, in particular, the abhorrent practice of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA). The UN policy is clear - zero tolerance to sexual exploitation and abuse.

Women on top in peace force
June 7, 2006 (Hindustan Times) There's just a handful of them but the Army's women peacekeeping troops stationed in some of the most dangerous conflict zones around the globe are doing a truly remarkable job.

Liberia sex-for-aid 'widespread'
May 8, 2006 - (BBC News) Young girls in Liberia are still being sexually exploited by aid workers and peacekeepers despite pledges to stamp out such abuse, Save the Children says. Girls as young as eight are being forced to have sex in exchange for food by workers for local and international agencies, according to its report.

Peacekeeping officials gain training at UN institute for women’s advancement
5 May, 2006 - (UN News) Peacekeeping officials dealing with communications and information technology in a number of hotspots across the globe today completed a five-day meeting at the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women where gender concerns were addressed as part of overall planning.

Poll finds nearly 94 per cent of Liberians feel safer with UN peacekeeping
April 19, 2006 –(UN News Service) An overwhelming 94 per cent of Liberians said that the United Nations Mission in Liberia ( UNMIL ) made them more secure in the aftermath of a bloody, decade-long civil war, and they gave high marks to the operation for its quick-impact projects and information outreach, according to a poll made public today.

AU inaugurates inquiry panel on allegations of sexual abuse in Darfur
April 16, 2006 - (Sudan Tribune) The African Union envoy to Sudan inaugurated the members of the investigation panel over the allegations of sexual abuses against the AU peacekeeping force in Sudan’s troubled Darfur region.

DR CONGO: UN WELCOMES LIFE SENTENCES ON SOLDIERS ACCUSED OF MASSIVE RAPE
13 April, 2006 -(UN NEWS) Welcoming the first sentencing of army soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for crimes against humanity stemming from massive rape, United Nations officials have called for further investigations to help prosecute other military personnel who may be implicated.

UN praises India's women police unit initiative
30 March 2006 - (Hindustan Times) The United Nations has appreciated India's decision to provide a 125-member all female police unit for peacekeeping. The world body has sought more women officers for its missions to increase the "efficiency and credibility" of operations.

More women needed in global peacekeeping operations: UN-backed conference
March 29, 2006 – (UN News) Describing the current low numbers of women in United Nations peacekeeping operations as “disheartening,” a United Nations-backed conference called today for their number to be doubled every year for the next few years, saying this would not only improve the efficiency of peacekeeping but also its credibility.

Top UN peacekeeping official calls for professional ‘core’ for field operations
27 February 2006 (UN News) – The head of United Nations peacekeeping operations today called for the creation of a “core” of 2,500 career civilian professionals who would provide an institutional cornerstone for more effective management of UN field operations.

Progress made against sexual exploitation but more to do: UN peacekeeping head
USG Guéhenno
23 February 2006 - (UN News) “Significant progress” has been made in dealing with incidences of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by United Nations peacekeepers, but much more needs to be done, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping said today, calling for more support from Member States.

DRC: UN investigations into allegations of sexual offences by peacekeeperS
January 26 2006 (IRIN) - In February 2005, the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUC, created an office to address allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by some of MONUC's civilian and military personnel. It was the first such UN office to have been set-up as part of a peacekeeping mission.

India's first women's peacekeeping force for Liberia
January 22 2006 - (NewIndpress) For the first time, a company of 120 Indian women would be deputed to Liberia, west Africa, for a peace-keeping mission following a UN request to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

NEW REPORT CALLING FOR MORE COOPERATION ON PEACEKEEPING ECHOES UN’S THINKING – ANNAN
January 19 2006 (UN News) Welcoming a new multinational report on peacekeeping operations, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said its recommendations for more cooperation and coordination by Member States mirror the world body’s own efforts to strengthen its security capacity.

Q&A: African peacekeeping operations
December 7, 2005 - (New York Times) Some of the most challenging conflicts in the world at the moment are in Africa: the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan and less-than-transparent governments and ongoing uncertainty in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are just some examples. In many cases, the developed world watches these conflicts develop; in the worst cases, as in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, it does nothing to intervene. When it does intervene--most often in the form of a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission--the results have been mixed, experts say.

Unmil Probes Soldier for Rape
November 30, 2005 (The Inquirer) The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) has launched an investigation into a rape case involving one of its soldiers. According to an UNMIL release, on 26 November, a member of the mission's military contingents was accused of committing rape.

UNMIL Officer Rapes Two Children
November 29, 2005 (AllAfrica.com) The crime of Rape has become endemic in the Liberian society to the extent that nearly everyday a female child falls prey to the nefarious desire of certain unscrupulous men who have the tendency of satisfying their sexual desire to the detriment of children including babies in some instances.

SECRETARY-GENERAL NAMES TEAM OF EXPERTS TO STUDY BEST WAYS TO ENSURE ACCOUNTABILITY OF UN PEACEKEEPERS
October 24, 2005 -(UN Press Release) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed a group of legal experts to conduct a study on the best ways to ensure that United Nations staff members and experts on mission who serve in peacekeeping operations and who commit crimes during their peacekeeping assignments can be held criminally accountable in a manner consistent with due process of law.

UN peacekeeping chief urges States to police their troops against sex abuse
October 21, 2005- (UN News Service): Pledging further action to root out sexual abuse by peacekeepers, a senior United Nations official has urged countries contributing troops to the world body's operations to do their part to end the scourge.

Report Finds U.N. Isn't Moving to End Sex Abuse by PeacekeeperS
October 18, 2005 (New York Times) - The United Nations has developed procedures to curb sexual abuse by peacekeepers, but the measures are not being put into force because of a deep-seated culture of tolerating sexual exploitation, an independent review reported Tuesday.

Nigeria recalls UN peacekeepers
September 19, 2005 (ISN Security Watch) - The Nigerian government on Monday said it would punish any police officers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo who are found guilty of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Sierra Leone: UNAMSIL's DSRSG underscores United Nations Security Council's resolution 1325 on women, peace and security
August 24, 2005 - (UNAMSIL) The Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General (DSRSG) and UNDP Resident Representative for Sierra Leone, Mr. Victor Angelo, has disclosed that there are serious gender disparities in Sierra Leone which are capable of frustrating any attempt at sustainable development if not adequately addressed.

UN establishes disciplinary units to eliminate sexual abuse by peacekeepers
4 August 2005 – (UN News Center) Upgrading the drive to eliminate sexual abuse by peacekeepers following reports over the past year and a half of peacekeepers exploiting vulnerable women and girls in their area of deployment, eight United Nations missions have been ordered to immediately establish disciplinary units staffed by senior-level experts on personnel conduct.

NEPAL: PEACEKEEPERS SENTENCED TO PRISON
July 23, 2005 - (NYT World Briefing) The Royal Nepal Army said a military court had sentenced six soldiers to three months in prison for sex abuses committed a few months ago while deployed as United Nations peacekeepers in Congo, the New China News Agency reported. Three of the soldiers were also demoted, said Brig. Gen. Deepak Gurung, an army spokesman.

UN sex abuse sackings in Burundi
July 19, 2005 – (BBC) Two United Nations peacekeepers in Burundi have been sacked after having sex with prostitutes and minors. UN spokesman Penangnini Toure said the two soldiers had been found guilty of breaking a strict code of conduct which forbids sex with prostitutes.

UN Tackles Sex Abuse by Troops
June 21, 2005 - (The Christian Science Monitor) Since accusations of sexual abuse by peacekeepers in Congo arose a year ago, the United Nations has taken vigorous measures to address a problem that has dogged it for years.

FRÉCHETTE TO VISIT KOSOVO AS PART OF TOUR TO ELIMINATE SEXUAL ABUSE IN PEACEKEEPING
June 3, 2005 - (UN News) United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will be travelling to Kosovo, resuming her visits to peacekeeping missions to reinforce Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse for United Nations personnel.

SECURITY COUNCIL CONDEMNS ‘IN THE STRONGEST TERMS’ ALL ACTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE, EXPLOITATION BY UN PEACEKEEPING PERSONNEL
May 31, 2005 - (Security Council Press Release, SC/8400) While confirming that the conduct and discipline of troops was primarily the responsibility of troop-contributing countries, the Security Councilrecognized this afternoon the shared responsibility of the Secretary-General and allMember States to take every measure within their purview to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse by all categories of peacekeeping personnel, and to enforce United Nations standards of conduct in that regard.

Security Council Condemns Sexual Abuses by UN Peacekeeping Personnel
May 31, 2005 – (UN News) The Security Council today strongly condemned all acts of sexual abuse and exploitation committed by UN peacekeeping personnel, underlining the importance of maintaining zero tolerance for such abuses and advocating their investigation and punishment.

French Peacekeeping Force Opens Inquiry into Sex Abuse Claims
May 20. 2005 - (IRIN) The French peacekeeping force in Cote d'Ivoire has opened an inquiry into allegations that four of its soldiers sexually abused a young girl in the rebel-held north of the divided country.

Additional Staff Needed to Stop Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping – UN Report
May 10, 2005 - (UN News) With a United Nations General Assembly committee having approved a strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is requesting funding to hire the extra employees necessary to ensure compliance with tightened regulations for conduct.

GLOBAL: UN REFORMS AIM TO END SEXUAL ABUSE BY PEACEKEEPERS
May 10, 2005 - (IRIN) When Roxanna Carrillo came to work at the new United Nations peacekeeping mission in Burundi in September 2004, she knew she needed to clarify the standards of behaviour expected of personnel.

Complaints of Sexual Infractions at UN Last Year Doubled from 2003
May 5, 2005 - (UN News) The number of allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation made by and about United Nations personnel in 2004 was more than double the number reported in 2003, a development that is deeply distressing, even though contributing factors include clearer reporting procedures and new response measures, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in a report to the General Assembly.

U.N. Confirms Sex Abuse by Peacekeepers in Liberia
April 29, 2005 - (Reuters) The United Nations is pressing ahead with a crackdown on sexual misconduct by peacekeepers in Liberia after finding that some allegations leveled so far were true, a U.N. spokesman said on Friday.

UN Probes Allegations of Sexual Exploitation by Peacekeepers in Liberia
April 29, 2005 – (UN News) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Liberia has been investigating allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by its personnel and has sought cooperation from the troop contributing countries, a UN spokesman said today.

UN Welcomes Newspaper Apology for Accusations of Sexual Exploitation Against Staffer
April 28, 2005 - (UN News) The United Nations today welcomed an apology issued by a British newspaper which had made unsubstantiated accusations of sexual exploitation against a senior UN staff member serving in the peacekeeping operation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

LIBERIA: Daddy wore a blue helmet
April 21, 2005 - (The Economist) THE UNECO children's centre looks like any other Liberian school. Its pupils wear smartish uniforms and are eager, after 14 years of civil war and not much schooling, to learn. What is unusual is that every child at UNECO has been fathered by a foreign peacekeeper and then abandoned. The centre was founded by Dr Abraham Cole, a local teacher, "to show our gratitude to peacekeepers by taking care of their children."

U.N. Investigates Alleged Sexual Abuse by Peacekeepers in Eritrea
April 14, 2005 -(Deutsche Presse Agentur) The U.N. Mission monitoring the disputed border between Ethiopia and Eritrea disclosed Thursday that it has set up a committee to investigate allegations of sexual abuse which Eritrean women have made against Mission peacekeepers and civilian staff.

UN Mission Probes Possible Breaches of Zero-Tolerance Policy on Sexual Exploitation
April 12, 2005 - (UN News) The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is investigating two weekend incidents for possible breaches of its zero-tolerance policies on sexual exploitation and abuse, a UN spokesman said today.

Report on Sexual Abuse by UN Peacekeepers Under Review
April 5, 2005 - (IRIN) A UN special committee began on Monday its review of a report on sexual misconduct by UN peacekeeping personnel, according to a statement issued in New York by the General Assembly.

Peacekeeping Troop Contributors Must Recognize Discipline Problems, UN Adviser Says
April 5, 2005 – (UN News) Countries that send troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions must recognize the seriousness of sexual exploitation and abuse taking place in such operations and see that every effort was made to prevent such appalling conduct from happening again, according to a special adviser to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON PEACEKEEPING OPERATIONS BEGINS REVIEW OF REPORT ON SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
April 4, 2005 - (UN Press Release, GA/PK/186) Meeting today in a reconvened 2005 session to consider the United Nations first-ever comprehensive report on the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeeping personnel, the Special Committee on Peacekeeping embarked on a tight timetable for reviewing the report and submitting its findings to the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) before the end of May to enable appropriate action by the General Assembly at its fifty-ninth session.

"No Go" Zones to Prevent Sex Abuse by U.N. Peacekeepers
April 4, 2005 - (IPS) As charges mount of sexual abuse and child molestation by U.N. peacekeepers, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) has drawn up a list of "no go" zones barring visits by blue-helmeted soldiers and civilian staff.

In Congo, Peace Eludes Its U.N. Keepers
March 28, 2005 - (Washington Post Foreign Service) Early one morning last month, Capt. Shebih Hassan, a U.N. peacekeeper from Pakistan, spotted crowds of terrified women and children gathering at the foot of grassy hills near his battalion's camp.

Refugees International Welcomes Far-Reaching UN Report on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation in Peacekeeping Operations
March 25, 2005 - (Refugees International) Faced with repeated problems of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers, the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has issued an honest and far-reaching report, “A comprehensive strategy to eliminate future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.” The report, written by His Royal Highness Prince Zeid Ra’ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Jordan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, makes numerous important and bold recommendations, notably that troop-contributing countries hold on-site court martials for guilty parties and adopt formal memoranda of understanding in advance of deployment to forward the cases of sexual exploitation and abuse to their competent national or military authorities.

Report Calls for Punishing Peacekeepers in Sex Abuse
March 25, 2005 - (NYT) A report on sexual abuse by peacekeepers recommended Thursday that offending soldiers and their commanders be punished by their home countries, that payments made to them be recovered and put into a fund for victims and that the United Nations make
compliance with these measures a condition for taking part in its missions.

Jordanian Prince Urges Major Overhaul of UN Peacekeeping
March 24, 2005 - (Reuters) Peacekeepers need to be punished for any sexual abuse, their pay docked and a fund set up to assist any women and girls they impregnated, a new U.N. report said on Thursday.

UN Report Offers Rape Prevention Ideas
March 24, 2005 - (The Associated Press) A new United Nations report on sex abuse by peacekeepers describes the U.N. military arm as dysfunctional and recommends requiring nations to pursue legal action against perpetrators, according to the report's author.

UN Secretariat and Assembly Must Approve New Rules for UN Peacekeepers – Report
March 24, 2005 – (UN News) A new report requested by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on sexual exploitation occurring in peacekeeping missions recommends the UN standardize rules so that all personnel are held equally accountable and that laws in troop-contributor countries and individual responsibility for victims, including "peacekeeper babies," be strengthened.

Congo's Desperate 'One-Dollar U.N. Girls'
March 21, 2005 - (Washington Post Foreign Service) She's known in the community as a "one-dollar U.N. girl." At night, she sleeps on the cracked pavement outside a storefront. In the mornings, she sashays through the dusty streets, clutching a frayed parasol against the blinding sun.

UN Turns on the Heat in Congo Abuse Probe
March 18, 2005 - (Reuters) The United Nations fired one employee and suspended six without pay among 17 civilian staff being investigated on allegations of sexual abuse in the Congo, a UN spokesperson said on Thursday.

UN Mission in DR of Congo Suspends or Expels Civilians in Sexual Abuse Cases, Clears Three
March 17, 2005 – (UN News) Seventeen civilians in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have been investigated on allegations of sexual exploitation, of which three cases have been closed for lack of evidence and one is still being reviewed, a UN spokesman said today.

Chiefs of UN Peacekeeping Missions Meet this Week at Annual New York Retreat
March 17, 2005 – (UN News) The heads of the 18 United Nations peacekeeping missions will hold their annual meeting, starting tomorrow, to exchange experiences and opinions on integrating former combatants into communities and on their own management and accountability.

UN Has No Say in DRC Sex Case
March 16, 2005 - (SA) The United Nations had no power to punish a South African battalion commander allegedly involved in sexual misconduct in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a UN spokesperson said on Wednesday.

United Nations Confronts Sex Abuse Claims
March 16, 2005 - (AP) As the United Nations confronts allegations of sex abuse on peacekeeping missions worldwide, officials said punishing soldiers may be easier than punishing civilians working for the world body.

U.N. Faces More Accusations of Sexual Misconduct
March 13, 2005 - (Washington Post) The United Nations is facing new allegations of sexual misconduct by U.N. personnel in Burundi, Haiti, Liberia and elsewhere, which is complicating the organization's efforts to contain a sexual abuse scandal that has tarnished its Nobel Prize-winning peacekeepers in Congo.

UN Conducts Inquiry into Alleged Sexual Abuse by Peacekeepers in Burundi
March 11, 2005 – (UN News) The United Nations, pursuing its zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeeping operations and mission personnel around the world, announced today that it was conducting an inquiry into alleged sexual abuse of minors by troops in Burundi.

Fréchette Heading to Kosovo to Continue Emphasis Against Sex Abuse by UN Peacekeepers
March 7, 2005 - (UN News) Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will head to Kosovo later this week to continue her tour of United Nations
peacekeeping operations around the world to emphasize the world body's zero-tolerance policy against sexual exploitation and abuse.

New Standards for UN Troops?
March 4, 2005 - (Christian Science Monitor) Faced with a double-barreled crisis over its inability to forge even a semblance of peace in the African jungles of Congo or prevent its soldiers from sexually abusing civilians there, the United Nations' biggest global peacekeeping operation is undergoing a dramatic makeover. The changes may set important precedents, experts say, for UN peacekeeping efforts worldwide.

Liberia: UN Personnel Risk Dismissal
March 3, 2005 - (The Analyst - Monrovia) Personnel serving with the United Nation Mission In Liberia and other agencies of the world body may lose their respective jobs if found in practices unacceptable to the principles and norms of the UN system.

UN to Tackle Claims of Congo Sex Abuse
March 2, 2005 - (The Independent) The United Nations is to investigate claims of sexual abuse by its peacekeepers after conceding that recent cases involving its soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo may not be isolated to that country and similar abuses have probably happened elsewhere.

Fréchette Heads to Sierra Leone After Wrapping up Visit to UN Mission in Liberia
March 2, 2005 – (UN News) Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette headed to Sierra Leone today after wrapping up her trip to Liberia for the second leg of visits to United Nations peacekeeping operations in West Africa to emphasize the world body's zero tolerance policy for sexual exploitation and abuse by UN troops.

UN Congo Envoy May Leave Amid Peacekeeper Scandal
February 28, 2005 - (Reuters) The U.N. representative in the Congo, American William Lacy Swing, may soon resign his post following allegations of widespread sexual abuse by peacekeepers, diplomats said on Monday.

UN Fears Peacekeepers Commit Sex Abuse Worldwide
February 26, 2005 - (Reuters) U.N. officials fear the sex-abuse scandal among peacekeepers in Africa is far more widespread and appears to be a problem in each of the global body's 16 missions around the world.

UN Peacekeepers in Haiti Cleared of Rape
February 25, 2005 - (AP) Three Pakistani peacekeepers working as UN peacekeepers in Haiti have been cleared of allegations that they raped a woman on a banana plantation, a top UN official said on Wednesday.

UN PROBING RAPE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PEACEKEEPERS IN HAITI
February 24, 2005 - (UN News) A preliminary investigation into a Haitian woman's rape accusations against United Nations peacekeepers suggests that the encounter involved prostitution, but since the personal code of conduct for "blue helmets" forbids that kind of contact, the soldiers will be disciplined, a UN spokesman said today.

CORRECTED: UN PEACEKEEPERS ACCUSED OF RAPE IN HAITI
February 23, 2005 - (Reuters) The United Nations is investigating allegations that three Pakistani policemen raped a woman in Haiti while deployed on a U.N. stabilization mission, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

UN INVESTIGATES RAPE CLAIMS IN HAITI
February 22, 2005 - (AP) The United Nations is investigating a woman's allegations that she was raped by three U.N. peacekeepers from Pakistan, a U.N. official said Tuesday. The men claim they paid to have sex.

UN Welcomes Morocco's Arrest of 6 of its Peacekeepers for Sexual Assault in DR of Congo
February 14, 2005 - (UN) The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has welcomed the Government of Morocco's decision to arrest six of its soldiers who were accused of sexual assault on civilians in the African Great Lakes country.

UN Soldiers Arrested in DR Congo
February 13, 2005 - (BBC) Six Moroccan soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been arrested over sex abuse claims, Moroccan officials say.

U.N. Sex Crimes in Congo: Prostitution, Rapes Run Rampant
February 11, 2005 - (ABC News) Widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of Congolese women, boys and girls have been made against U.N. personnel who were sent to help and protect them -- despite a so-called zero tolerance policy touted by the United Nations toward such behavior.

For an accompanying slideshow, comprised of photos taken during ABC's investigation in DRC, CLICK HERE.

How the UN was Forced to Tackle Stain on its Integrity
February 11, 2005 - (The Independent) In March 1998 I was having dinner with staff from the UN in Sarajevo. The topic of conversation turned to the increasing number of bars in Bosnia, housing prostitutes from countries in eastern Europe, mainly Romania and Moldova. Someone said that in the infamous Arizona Market, near Brcko in north-eastern Bosnia, young girls from these countries were paraded weekly for sale and purchased by bar owners who put them to work as sex slaves.

Sex ban on DR Congo peacekeepers
February 10, 2005 - (BBC) UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been banned from having sex with locals after claims of widespread abuse of women and girls.

UN Bans Peacekeepers from Sex with Congolese
February 10, 2005 - (Reuters) U.N. peacekeepers have been banned from having sex with the local population in Congo following allegations of widespread abuse of women and girls, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

Annan Calls for Security Council Support in Fight Against Sexual Exploitation in Peacekeeping Missions
February 9, 2005 - (UN News) Secretary-General Kofi Annan has written to the Security Council appealing for more police and French-speaking investigators to strengthen the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as an expanded investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and misconduct continues, a UN spokesperson said today.

DRC: Sex and the UN: when peacemakers become predators
January 11, 2005 - (The Independent) Nadia is 13, a prostitute in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her clients are UN soldiers. If she's lucky, they'll give her $1.

DRC: U.N. Troops Exploited Congo Girls
January 8, 2005 - (AP) - United Nations peacekeepers in Congo sexually exploited women and girls, some as young as 13, a U.N. watchdog office said Friday in a new confirmation that efforts to curb abuses by U.N. troops are not working.

Peacekeepers' Sexual Abuse of Local Girls Continuing in DR of Congo, UN Finds
January 7, 2005 – (UN News) United Nations peacekeeping troops have continued the sexual abuse of girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN's watchdog office says, but peacekeeping officials say Member States providing the soldiers must send sterner commanders and toughen the punishment for perpetrators.

Press Briefing on OIOS Investigation in Democratic Republic of Congo
January 7, 2005 -(UN) The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse of local Congolese women and girls has concluded that the problem was serious and ongoing, Barbara Dixon, Director of OIOS’s Investigations Division, told correspondents today. Equally disturbing, she said, was the lack of a protection and deterrence programme even now. Briefing correspondents on the findings of the investigation, Ms. Dixon described the investigation as a difficult process, especially because of the very general nature of the allegations investigated.

Press Breifing on Democratic Republic of Congo Report (excerpts)
January 7, 2005 - (UN) With the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Nations Organization Mission there entering a critical phase, the only viable solution was to stay the course, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for that country said at a Headquarters press briefing today.

UN Suspends Soldiers in Burundi Over Sex Abuse
December 17, 2004 - (afrol News) After several scandals where UN peacekeepers and aid workers have been involved in sexual abuse of civilian women, the UN peacekeeping mission in Burundi has suspended to soldiers accused of "sexual misconduct". UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has announced a new policy of "zero tolerance for sexual abuse by UN personnel," following the scandals.

In Congo War, Even Peacekeepers Add to Horror
December 18, 2004 - (NYT) In the corner of the tent where she says a soldier forced himself on her, Helen, a frail fifth grader with big eyes and skinny legs, remembers seeing a blue helmet.

U.N. Sexual Abuse Alleged in Congo
December 16, 2004 - (Washington Post) U.N. peacekeepers threatened U.N. investigators investigating allegations of sexual misconduct in Congo and sought to bribe witnesses to change incriminating testimony, a confidential U.N. draft report says.

UN probing charges of sex abuse in DR of Congo, peacekeeping official says
November 23, 2004 – (UN) The United Nations has dispatched two teams to investigate 150 charges of sexual exploitation and abuse by civilian and military personnel serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a senior UN official.

UN DR Congo Sex Abuses 'on Film'
November 23, 2004- (BBC) The United Nations is investigating some 150 allegations of sexual abuse by UN civilian staff and soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwanda: Women Ex-Combatants Seek Inclusion in Peacekeeping Missions
November 18, 2004 - (IRIN) Old soldiers never die, they just fade away, as the saying goes. Yet for Capt Apophia Batamuliza, a retired former Rwandan woman soldier, that is not an option. Batamuliza was only 24 in 1990, when she joined a group of men to launch a four-year guerrilla war to oust a regime that had denied them a right to stay in their home country.

BURUNDI: UN MISSION SETS UP UNITS TO CHECK SEXUAL ABUSE
November 15, 2004 - (IRIN) Following reports of sexual exploitation of host populations in several peacekeeping missions in Africa, the UN Mission in Burundi, known as ONUB, has established a Code of Conduct Unit and appointed a gender adviser to make sure this problem does not arise in Burundi.

Interview with Carolyn McAskie, head of UN peacekeeping mission in Burundi
November 5, 2004 -(IRIN) ONUB has a code of conduct unit, the first of any UN peacekeeping mission, to prevent cases of sexual misconduct by UN staff and troops against the host population. IRIN spoke to the head of ONUB and special representative of the UN Secretary-General, Carolyn McAskie, in Bujumbura on 26 October on this unit as well as on ONUB's strength, deployment, security and progress made so far.

PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY IN PEACEKEEPING IS VITAL TO SUCCESS - UN ADVISER
November 4, 2004 - (UN News) Addressing the concerns of women, tackling gender-based violence and ensuring full equality are essential for peacekeeping operations to achieve their goals, the senior United Nations official dealing with these issues said today.

6 women will be included in the Fiji contingent to Iraq
October 20, 2004 - (Fiji Sun) 6 service women will be part of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces officers who will be deployed to the UN Assistance Mission (UNAMI) in Iraq later this month; Military spokesman, Capt Neumi Leweni said the six are to fulfil tasks as female searchers at UN HQ in Baghdad. They will be part of the Internal Security, Perimeter and the Main gate platoons but they would also carry out dual roles as female searchers. Capt Leweni said the six had created history in the RFMF as being the most number of women to be deployed to any one peacekeeping duty. All of them have had peacekeeping mission experience in either East Timor or in the Sinai. Meanwhile 163 personnel had been selected and would undergo training before they leave fo Iraq at the end of the month. Fiji has been involved in UN peacekeeping missions since deployment to Lebanon in 1978.

GENDER BALANCE IN UN PEACEKEEPING HAS IMPROVED, ANNAN SAYS
October 19, 2004 - (UN) In the four years that have elapsed since the Security Council voted to improve the ratio of women to men dealing with peace and security issues, the greatest progress has been made in United Nations peacekeeping missions, Secretary-General Kofi Annan says.

Conflict, Sexual Trafficking, and Peacekeeping
October 8, 2004 - (Refugees International) Trafficking in persons is a modern-day form of slavery, involving victims who are typically forced, defrauded or coerced into sexual or labor exploitation. It is among the fastest growing criminal activities, occurring worldwide and within individual countries. Globally, at least 600,000 - 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked each year across borders, including 14,500 - 17,500 persons into the United States. Annual profits from human trafficking have been estimated at five to seven billion dollars.

Our Bodies - Their Battle Ground: Gender-based Violence in Conflict Zones
UN peacekeeping - working towards a no-tolerance environment
September 24, 2004 - (UNOCHA: IRIN Web Special on violence against women and girls during and after conflict) Allegations of sexual violations perpetrated by some UN peacekeepers in the last two years have been widely reported by media and human rights groups. As the UN undertakes an increasing number of peacekeeping missions, the organisation faces the challenge of how to maintain ethical standards and codes of behaviour among its disparate troops, a challenge that the head of the UN mission in Burundi, Carolyn McAskie, told IRIN she is actively working to address in the Central African country. Appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Burundi in June this year, McAskie has a UN force composed of troops from five member countries. Troops from three of these have been named in alleged rape and sexual abuse scandals in neighbouring DRC. McAskie told IRIN that the UN was aware of the allegations and working to create an environment in which abuse would not be tolerated, a message that she had relayed in her first meeting with Burundi President Domitien Ndayizeye. She also had the unequivocal support of the mission's Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Derrick Mgwebi of South Africa, she added. In the DRC, some UN soldiers were accused of sexually abusing minors under the age of 18, trading food for sex, child rape and organising a child prostitution ring in Bunia, north eastern DRC.However, the DRC is by no means the first documented case of sexual violation by UN peacekeepers. Human Rights Watch reported on several cases of sexual violence by peacekeepers with the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), including the rape of a twelve-year-old girl in Bo by a soldier of the Guinean contingent, as well as the gang rape of a woman by two Ukrainian soldiers near Kenema.When reports of sexual abuses by some UN personnel in West Africa emerged in 2002, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated a clear policy of zero-tolerance for sexual misconduct by staff. However, subsequent allegations of exploitation and abuses by peacekeepers emerged in Kosovo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Index page for IRIN Web Special on violence against women and girls during and after conflict: CLICK HERE.

INDIA TO SEND MORE WOMEN FOR UN PEACE MISSIONS
September 1, 2004 - (IANS) India Wednesday said it planned to increase the number of women police personnel sent for UN peacekeeping missions as it reiterated its commitment to such operations worldwide.

RWANDAN FEMALE EX-COMBATANTS CAN PLAY IMPORTANT ROLE IN PEACEKEEPING
September 1, 2004 - (UNIFEM) Women ex-combatants from Rwanda have asked for a role in regional peacekeeping missions in Africa. Pointing specifically to the recent Rwandan government's commitment to support regional peacekeeping missions by sending soldiers to help protect African Union cease-fire monitors, they are urging that ex-combatant women be included in such missions, because of their experience of warfare and its particular impact on women, and their interest in assisting women caught in conflict.

GREAT LAKES: Focus on sexual misconduct by UN personnel
July 23, 2004 (IRIN) - When reports of sexual abuses by UN personnel in West Africa emerged in 2002, Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated a clear policy of zero-tolerance of sexual misconduct by staff. However, allegations of sexual misconduct and gender-based violence by peacekeepers have since been reported in several operations, including Kosovo and, more recently, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

ARMY SILENT ON SEX SCANDAL
July 12, 2004 – (The Star – South Africa) South African soldiers have been accused of involvement in a massive sex abuse scandal in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they are on peace-keeping duties.

SOUTH AFRICAN TROOPS 'RAPED KIDS IN DRC'
July 12, 2004 - (Pretoria News) South African and other peacekeeping troops have allegedly committed a string of rapes and other sexual offences against children in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations has sent a special team to the DRC to investigate.

ABUSE BY UN TROOPS IN DRC MAY GO UNPUNISHED, REPORT SAYS
July 12, 2004 - (UN Wire) The U.N. response to the sexual abuse of children by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been mired in bureaucracy, with no charges having been brought against any of the accused, the London Independent reports today.

PEACEKEEPERS AND GENDER: DRC AND SIERRA LEONE
July 8, 2004 – (Pambazuka News # 164, Editorial) It was late at night when the woman farmer came out of her house in the village of Joru in Sierra Leone to go to the lavatory. She saw a large white truck that had stopped about 50 metres from her home. It was an unusual sight, so she hid and watched what was going on. Inside were two white men and a black woman, who was yelling, 'leave me alone'. 'The door was open and one of them was on top of her', recalled the farmer,'K', who is in her fifties. 'The lady was really struggling. I saw that one was holding her down while the other was raping her …I saw both of them have their turn on her. After they had finished, I saw one of them drag her out of the cabin and put her in the back of the big truck. They then drove off' (Stuart, 2003).

THE OFFICE OF GENDER AFFAIRS LAUNCHES ITS RESOURCE CENTRE
July 7, 2004 – (UNMIK) The Office of Gender Affairs is pleased to announce the launch of its resource centre of gender-related materials, containing over 200 books, pamphlets, DVDs and other documents. The collection covers topics ranging from the gendered dimensions of peacekeeping to the gender-implications of development, and includes an wide array of local and regional materials.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GENDER IN PEACEKEEPING?
June 18, 2004 – (AWID) A look at recent resources on the issue of gender and peacekeeping. One focus is on the recent Commission on the Status of Women Agreed Conclusions on ''Women's equal participation in conflict prevention, management and conflict resolution and in post-conflict peace-building''.

WHEN PEACEKEEPING TURNS TO DESPAIR
June 14, 2004 - (UN Wire, Barbara Crossette) A new and disturbing book is getting a lot of attention around the United Nations — so much that two of its three authors, who still work for the organization, fear they will be dismissed because they did not get permission to publish it.

UN MISSION SPOTLIGHTS KOSOVO’S GENDER GAP IN EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION
June 8, 2004 – (UN News) Kosovo suffers from a serious gender gap, with the United Nations mission’s first comprehensive survey of gender data in the province showing that women are severely under-represented in the workforce and girls’ attendance at secondary school is much lower than that of boys.

MCASKIE ONE OF U.N.'S FEW WOMEN SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2004 - (UN Wire, Barbara Crossette) The spotlight shining on Lakhdar Brahimi in Iraq, and before that in Afghanistan, has made many more Americans aware that the United Nations has its own corps of very skilled diplomatic troubleshooters known as special representatives of the secretary general. These envoys, like viceroys in the age of empire, can wield considerable administrative power and influence, especially when countries implode and need to be rebuilt, as Cambodia was more than a decade ago, or are in the process of being created anew, as East Timor was under U.N. guidance most recently. A special representative, however, is almost never a woman, and more often than not he drawn from a background in politics or the military.

DR CONGO'S SHAMEFUL SEX SECRET: YOUNG REFUGEES SELL THEIR BODIES TO UN PEACEKEEPERS
June 3, 2004 - (BBC) Faela* is 13 and her son Joseph is just under six months old. Sitting on the dusty ground in Bunia's largest camp for Internationally Displaced People (IDP), with Joseph in her arms, she talks about how she ensures that she and her son are fed.

UN: BULLIES AND BEGGARS
May 28, 2004 - (IPS) As the United Nations gears up to dispatch thousands of new troops into political trouble spots in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, its peacekeeping missions are being undermined by a shortage of funds, unpaid debts and charges of sexual abuse against women and children caught in the crossfire.

CASH CRUNCH, SEX ABUSE CHARGES HIT U.N. PEACEKEEPING
May 27, 2004 – (IPS) As the United Nations gears up to despatch thousands of new troops into political trouble spots in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, its peacekeeping missions are being undermined by a shortage of funds, unpaid debts and charges of sexual abuse against women and children caught in the crossfire.

NEW BOOK REVEALS DRUG-FILLED SEX PARTIES ON U.N. MISSIONS
May 27, 2004 – (UN Wire) A tell-all book by two U.N. employees and one former U.N. staffer details regular drug-induced Friday night sex parties in Cambodia and peacekeeping forces comprised of convicts and mental-asylum inmates who were often drunk on assignment and raped local women at will, the Washington Times reports.

U.N. MISSIONS PAINTED AS BOOZE-SOAKED ORGIES
May 27, 2004 – (Washington Times) A book by three current and former U.N. employees about peacekeeping operations portrays wild parties with alcohol and drugs, and convicts and mental-asylum inmates passing as soldiers.

U.N. PROBES 30 SEX ABUSE CLAIMS IN D.R.C., DISCIPLINES ONE
May 27, 2004 – (UN Wire) The United Nations said yesterday it is investigating 30 cases of alleged sexual abuse of minors by peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Associated Press /News24.com, May 27).

UN LOOKS INTO SEX ABUSE CLAIMS
May 27, 2004 – (Associated Press /News24.com) The United Nations is investigating allegations of 30 cases of sexual abuse of minors by peacekeepers in Congo, the world body said on Wednesday.

MEMBER OF UN MISSION IN DR OF CONGO ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ABUSE SENT HOME FOR TRIAL
May 26, 2004 – (UN) One member of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) accused of sexual abuse is being repatriated early and will be prosecuted by his national authorities, the UN spokesman said today.

U.N. PEACEKEEPERS SEXUALLY ABUSING GIRLS IN D.R.C. CAMP
May 25, 2004 – (UN Wire) Teenage girls in the Democratic Republic of the Congo who were repeatedly raped by militiamen are being sexually exploited by U.N. peacekeepers who give the girls food in exchange for sex, the London Independent reports, giving details on allegations that have resulted in a U.N. inquiry.

UN TROOPS BUY SEX FROM TEENAGE REFUGEES IN CONGO CAMP
May 25, 2004 – (Independent) Teenage rape victims fleeing war in the Democratic Republic of Congo are being sexually exploited by the United Nations peace-keeping troops sent to the stop their suffering.

SEX AND DEATH IN THE HEART OF AFRICA
May 25, 2004 – (Independent) Hungry, frightened and helpless, young women in the Democratic Republic of Congo are selling their bodies in exchange for food and shelter. And the men expecting such 'payment' are the UN peacekeepers responsible for protecting them. By Kate Holt and Sarah Hughes

UN STAFF IN CONGO FACE CHILD SEX CLAIMS
May 17 2004 – (Financial Times) One of the United Nations toughest missions in Africa is facing damaging allegations that peacekeeping troops as well as civilian UN personnel have been involved in the systematic sexual abuse of minors.

ROLE OF LIBERIAN WOMEN IN PEACE-MAKING HAILED
May 14, 2004 – (UNMIL) Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Coordinator of UN Operations in Liberia Jacques Paul Klein yesterday paid tribute to the central role played by the "courageous women" of Liberia in advancing the peace process during and after the protracted civil war.

LIBERIA: NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE WORKS ON ACTION PLAN 2004-2005
May 12, 2004- (UNDP) 250 women from all parts of Liberia started last Monday in Monrovia the "National Women's Conference on Peace and Socio-Economic Recovery in Liberia". They are meeting during one week to develop a national framework for the participation of women in the peace, the rehabilitation and the reconstruction process of Liberia. The conference is organized by the Ministry of Gender and Development and is supported by UNDP-Liberia, the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UNMIL, as well as the UN system's specialized Agencies.

LIBERIA: UNMIL’S CRACKDOWN ON TRAFFICKING PUTS WOMEN AT RISK
May 10, 2004 – (Refugees International) In Liberia, crime has returned with vigor after the civil war. In addition to street crime and burglary, there are increasing reports of Ukrainian and Moroccan women being trafficked into Monrovia to serve as prostitutes in popular bars that double as brothels. The UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, says it is taking the problem seriously. UNMIL’s Civilian Police (CIVPOL) has hired an officer to address human trafficking. However, by not coordinating her efforts with NGOs and other supporting organizations, her independent actions may actually be exacerbating the problem.

UN PROBES REPORTS OF SEXUAL ABUSE BY CONGO STAFF
May 10, 2004 - (Reuters) The United Nations mission in Congo said Monday it was investigating allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation of civilians, including minors, by its staff serving in the northeastern town of Bunia.

KOSOVO: TRAFFICKED WOMEN AND GIRLS HAVE HUMAN RIGHTS
May 6, 2004 – (Amnesty International Press Release) Despite some positive measures, trafficking of women and girls remains a disgraceful human rights abuse in Kosovo. The international community is responsible for the growth of a sex-industry based on the abuse of trafficked women, said Amnesty International at a press conference revealing the result of its research into the trafficking of women and girls in Kosovo.

KOSOVO: FACTS AND FIGURES ON TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN AND GIRLS FOR FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KOSOVO
May 6, 2004 – (Amnesty International Media Briefing) Women and girls trafficked into Kosovo come from some of the poorest countries in Europe, where they face discrimination in access to social and economic rights and have experienced domestic or other gender-based violence.

UNMIK, KFOR FUELING SEX SLAVERY IN KOSOVO, AMNESTY SAYS
May 6, 2004 – (UN Wire) U.N. and NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo are fueling a human trafficking industry that sexually exploits women and girls as young as 11, according to a report released today by Amnesty International.

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN LIBERIA: ARE THE CONDITIONS RIPE FOR ANOTHER SCANDAL?
April 20, 2004 – (Refugees International) In 2002, allegations of sexual exploitation of refugees by humanitarian workers in West Africa rocked the humanitarian world. Workers stood accused of abusing their power by trading access to scarce relief supplies for sex. The UN and its implementing partners responded by establishing codes of conduct and stronger performance standards for humanitarian staff. Many organizations also put in place reporting systems and instituted sexual exploitation and gender-awareness training for staff. This scandal drew further attention to the problem of sexual exploitation that has also plagued the peacekeeping world. Two years later, however, despite the increased attention to the issue, conditions are ripe for another public sexual exploitation scandal in Liberia.

BURUNDI: UNITED STATES SHOULD SUPPORT AN EFFECTIVE AND MULTIDIMENSIONAL PEACEKEEPING MISSION
April 19, 2004 – (Refugees International) Refugees International strongly urges the Bush administration to drop its opposition to a multidimensional peacekeeping operation for Burundi. A broad based approach is needed to deal with the many tasks involved with building lasting peace. Insisting upon a mission with a strictly military mandate is a recipe for failure.

WARRING MILITIAS IN CONGO TEST U.N. ENFORCEMENT ROLE
April 11, 2004 – (NYT) In this scrappy frontier town in eastern Congo, the United Nations faces among the most important tests of its peacekeeping prowess.

SWING VISITS KALEMIE AND MANONO
March 29, 2004 – (MONUC) Special Representative to the Secretary General of the United Nations in DRC, Mr. William Swing visited Kalemie and Manono this week between working visits to Bujumbura and Lubumbashi. First stop on his agenda, Kalemie. While in Kalemie, Mr. Swing met with all MONUC staff in a characteristic Town Hall Meeting..."MONUC is not here for development..." emphasised the Special Representative, "we have a mandate to accompany the Congolese Transition to peace and elections. But we cannot ignore the daily hardships faced by the Congolese...in particular women and children who have sufferred the most from this war."

UN SPECIAL ADVISER AND ASSESSMENT MISSION CHIEF MEET OFFICIALS
March 19, 2004 – (UN) United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's Special Adviser on Haiti and the head of the UN assessment mission today continued their round of meetings to gather information on the situation in the Caribbean country after the departure of one president and the swearing-in of a new interim president, prime minister and cabinet.

GENDER UNIT HOLDS OPEN FORUM WITH WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS
March 18, 2004 – (UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL) The Gender Unit of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) held its first open forum on 16 March with Liberian women's organizations to share information on the diverse activities carried out by the different organizations and to identify ways of networking and collaborating.

PROMOTION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND PROTECTION FOR WOMEN STILL REQUIRED
March 18, 2004 – (Refugees International) As UNAMSIL plans its exit strategy from Sierra Leone and begins to assess its successes, it can point to many: increased stability in the country, the return of refugees from Liberia and Guinea, the establishment of the special court, a renewed and re-trained Sierra Leone Police (SLP) force, and a better trained and equipped national army (RSLAF). These successes are resulting in a rush to close down the offices of UNAMSIL, while crucial elements to the long-term health of Sierra Leone are being overlooked, notably strengthening of the justice system and continued training for government officials and security personnel in the areas of human rights and gender issues.

JOURNÉE DE LA FEMME À KISANGANI
11 Mars 2004 – (MONUC) A l’occasion de la Journée Internationale de la Femme (JIF) 2004, la Section de l’ Information Publique de la MONUC de Kisangani a organisé le lundi 8 mars 2004 une conférence-débat sur le thème : « La femme face aux enjeux du sida ». La Fondation Femmes Plus (FFP), ONG d’accompagnement psychosocial des personnes vivant avec le VIH/SIDA a étroitement collaboré à l’organisation de cette activité.

MAMANS TAKE TO THE STREETS EN MASSE IN KALEMIE
March 9, 2004 – (MONUC) Over 5,000 women marched down the main street of Kalemie in celebration of March 8th, International Women’s Day. The biggest women’s day event to hit Kalemie, the parade lasted over three hours as each group of women marched past the Governor of Northern Katanga, the MONUC Head of Office and several Kalemie authorities.

UN AUDIT HIGHLIGHTS PROBLEMS IN RECRUITING PEACEKEEPING STAFF
March 4, 2004 – (UN News Service) The United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) took an average of 347 days to recruit staff to professional-level and other senior posts in 2002 - almost three times longer than the UN target, according to a report issued today by the UN's internal auditing body.

NATO URGED TO BAN TROOPS FROM BROTHELS
March 5, 2004 - (Reuters) Western troops abroad should be banned from brothels and sex clubs that fuel an illegal trade in women forced into prostitution, the United States and Norway urged their NATO allies Thursday.

UNMIL CONDUCTS LIBERIAN POLICE TRAINING ON GENDER ISSUES
February 20, 2004 – (UNMIL) The United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) Gender Unit is currently conducting training on gender issues for the Liberian Interim Police Force. The training covers Introduction to Gender, Sexual and Gender- Based Violence, Gender and Culture, as well as Gender Issues in policing.

UN 'LETTING TORTURER ESCAPE'
October 3, 2003 – (The Guardian) The United Nations broke its own anti-torture convention by allowing a Zimbabwean police officer accused of torture to leave its peace force in Kosovo and return to Zimbabwe where he will probably not face investigation.

TRADING IN MISERY
September 15, 2003 – (IWPR'S BALKAN CRISIS REPORT, No. 460) Tens of thousands of Eastern European women are falling victim to the Balkan sex trade.

DYNCORP DISGRACE
Auguest 19, 2003 - (PrisonPlanet.com) Middle-aged men having sex with 12- to 15-year-olds was too much for Ben Johnston, a hulking 6-foot-5-inch Texan, and more than a year ago he blew the whistle on his employer, DynCorp, a U.S. contracting company doing business in Bosnia.

DARK SIDE OF PEACEKEEPING
July 10, 2003 – (The Independent – London) It was late at night when the woman farmer came out of her house in the village of Joru in Sierra Leone to go to the lavatory. She saw a large white truck that had stopped about 50 metres from her home. It was an unusual sight, so she hid and watched what was going on. Inside were two white men and a black woman, who was yelling: "Leave me alone."

TRAINING PEACEKEEPERS TO PROMOTE HIV PREVENTION AND GENDER-AWARENESS IN SIERRA LEONE
July 9, 2003 – (UNFPA) In March, UNFPA launched a groundbreaking two-year programme for HIV/AIDS prevention and gender awareness among peacekeepers in Sierra Leone. With over 15,000 troops, the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) is currently the largest peacekeeping force in the world.

UNMISET REJECTS CHARGES IT FAILED TO PROBE TRAFFICKING
July 3, 2003 – (UN Wire) The U.N. Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) yesterday said media allegations that the U.N. police have failed to investigate the trafficking of women and organized prostitution in the country are "without foundation."

FIRST FEMALE UN POLICE COMMISSIONER ASSUMES DUTY IN TIMOR-LESTE
June 23, 2003 – (UN) The first female United Nations' police commissioner assumed her functions today with the world body's support mission in Timor-Leste. Sandra Peisley brings to the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) a wide variety of relevant areas of policing, including police training, management, investigations and close protection. She is an Assistant Commissioner in the Australian Federal Police.

ANNAN VOICES CONCERN OVER EXTENDING UN PEACEKEEPERS' IMMUNITY FROM ICC
June 12, 2003 – (UN) As the Security Council met today to consider extending immunity for United Nations peacekeepers from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced concern that it might become an annual routine that could undermine the tribunal’s and the Council’s authority, as well as the legitimacy of UN peace operations.

UN PEACEKEEPERS EXEMPTED FROM WAR CRIMES PROSECUTION FOR ANOTHER YEAR
June 12, 2003 – (UN) The United Nations Security Council today approved a 12-month extension of immunity that effectively shields UN peacekeepers from potential prosecution by the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.

UN CELEBRATES FIRST INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACEKEEPERS
May 29, 2003 – (UN) The United Nations today observed the first International Day of UN Peacekeepers with a pledge from Secretary-General Kofi Annan that the world body’s peacekeeping mission would continue because, even if it cannot by itself end war, it can help prevent a recurrence of fighting.

FIRM WITH NEW U.S. IRAQ CONTRACT DROPS BALKAN SEX CASE APPEAL
May 5, 2003 – (UN Wire) DynCorp on Friday dropped its planned appeal of a ruling that it unfairly dismissed a woman who blew the whistle on DynCorp-employed U.N. peacekeepers in Bosnia for frequenting nightclubs where girls under 15 had sex with customers. The U.S. firm's dropping of the expected appeal follows its landing last month of a $35 million U.S. State Department contract to provide police officers to Iraq.