Why do some UN peacekeepers rape?

August 14, 2017 Cholo Brooks The World 0

[Illustration by Jawahir Al-Naimi/Al Jazeera]

In the first of a four-part series, Al Jazeera examines the accusations of sexual abuse and exploitation against the UN.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the UN started the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in 1948. The UN started deploying peacekeepers in 1948, but didn’t set up DPKO until 1992. This has been corrected. The article has also been updated to clarify that Kathryn Bolkovac worked for the British subsidiary of the American firm DynCorp International.

UN peacekeepers are sent to the most war-ravaged countries on Earth, ostensibly to help them transition to peace.

But some stand accused of committing crimes against the very people they are supposed to protect.

According to a recent investigation by the Associated Press (AP), between 2004 and 2016, the United Nations received almost 2,000 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against its peacekeepers.

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Source: Al Jazeera News Online

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About Cholo Brooks 17210 Articles

Joel Cholo Brooks is a Liberian journalist who previously worked for several international news outlets including the BBC African Service. He is the CEO of the Global News Network which publishes two local weeklies, The Star and The GNN-Liberia Newspapers. He is a member of the Press Union Of Liberia (PUL) since 1986, and several other international organizations of journalists, and is currently contributing to the South Africa Broadcasting Corporation as Liberia Correspondent.