Sexual Abuse and Exploitation at the Hands of Peacekeepers

A Threat to the Legitimacy of Both the United Nations and Human Security

Abstract

Whereas much of the existing scholarship focuses on the implications of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict reconstruction as a tool of war, this paper instead seeks to explore the implications of sexual exploitation and abuse at the hands of peacekeepers. As allegations of sexual violence by peacekeepers have continued to persist, these reports identify a potential legitimacy crisis not only for peacekeeping operations and the United Nations, but of the evolving concept of human security. Constituting a paradigm shift of sorts, the streamlining of the concept of ‘human security’ has visibly begun to influence and change global politics and institutions. This paper explores these additional considerations while identifying two specific challenges to addressing the problem, specifically militarized masculinity and the fragile and complex environments in which peacekeeping operations operate in.