Peacekeeping, Compliance with International Norms, and Transactional Sex in Monrovia, Liberia

Beber, Bernd; Gilligan, Michael J.; Guardado, Jenny; Karim, Sabrina

doi:10.1017/s0020818316000242

Cited by 75 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 41 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Peacekeeping has become the main method to manage and contain civil wars (Doyle and Sambanis 2000;Fortna 2008;Howard 2008). Although some question the effectiveness of peacekeeping missions pointing to incidents of abuse and sexual exploitation against local populations (Autesserre 2010;Barnett et al 2014;Beber et al 2017;Pouligny 2006), other studies suggest that PKOs promote peace and peacebuilding by strengthening the capacity of governments (Doyle and Sambanis 2000;Dorussen and Gizelis 2013). Empirical studies on peacekeeping so far have focused only on "negative"peace, or the absence of armed conflict, rather than "positive" peace including the well-being of civilians (Galtung 1964).…”

Section: Un Peacekeeping and Quality Of Peacementioning

confidence: 99%

A security dividend: Peacekeeping and maternal health outcomes and access

Gizelis

Cao

2020

Journal of Peace Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 highlights the distinct needs of women in security and well-being. Few studies explore how peacekeeping affects women’s access to health and education. Yet, women’s access to public services such as health is a form of gender inequality in post-conflict countries leading to unbalanced distribution of resources. We argue that peacekeeping operations (PKOs) have both a direct and an important indirect impact on maternal health and women’s well-being. First, peacekeeping can have a direct effect by providing medical and training facilities. Second, peacekeeping has an indirect effect as improvement in the overall level of security facilitates women’s access to medical services and education. We evaluate our argument by combining evidence from different levels of analysis. First, we use a difference-in-difference analysis of 45 African countries with data between 1990 and 2013, comparing the changes in maternal mortality rates (MMR) for countries with and without PKOs. Second, we look at within-country variations across areas with and without UN peacekeeping deployment in three countries with integrative PKOs, combining geo-coded peacekeeping data with individual data on maternal health and education from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte D’Ivoire, and Liberia. We find strong empirical support for a positive relationship between peacekeeping presence and maternal health outcomes and access to services.

show abstract

Section: Un Peacekeeping and Quality Of Peacementioning

confidence: 99%

A security dividend: Peacekeeping and maternal health outcomes and access

Gizelis

Cao

2020

Journal of Peace Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…When the results of the survey were extrapolated to the Monrovian population at large, the researchers reported that their 'best estimate' was 'that about 58,000 women ages 18-30 in 2012 had engaged in transactional sex with U.N. personnel at some point.' 130 This is not to suggest that these studies have produced the 'correct' answer to the question of how widespread sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers is. No doubt these findings could also be critiqued for their weaknesses, many predate the UN's reforms and there are obvious questions about the extent to which results for one mission or one group of victims or perpetrators would carry across to others.…”

Section: Statistics As Technologies Of Global Governancementioning

confidence: 99%

Sex, Statistics, Peacekeepers and Power: UN Data on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and the Quest for Legal Reform

Grady¹

2016

Modern Law Review

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The UN Secretariat provides annual statistics on allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse made against peacekeeping personnel, with reduced numbers of allegations leading to claims of success for the UN's ‘zero tolerance’ policy. This article explores the use of data as ‘technologies’ of global governance, to examine the function that these annual statistics serve for the UN and the impact that they have on calls for legal reform. Thus far, the statistics have attracted little academic appraisal. Yet, they have been used to establish the UN's authority to resolve the ‘problem’ of sexual exploitation and abuse, diminishing the space for critique of UN policy and undermining the quest for improved legal arrangements.

show abstract

“…Risk factors positively associated with transactional sex included: low educational attainment, low income, increased duration of the relationship, early sexual debut, multiple sexual partners, and previous exposure to sexual violence. A second cross-sectional study in Liberia, this time in 2012, analyzed transactional sex specifically between Liberian women aged 18 to 30 and foreign military personnel deployed to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) (22). In this sample, 56% of Liberian women had engaged in transactional sex and 44% of these did so with peacekeepers.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Transactional Sexmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distribution and Consequences of Sexual Misconduct by Peacekeepers in Haiti: A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Analysis

Vahedi

Stuart

Lee

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background From 2004 to 2017, the UN sanctioned The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to address Haiti's political instability. Reports of sexual misconduct perpetrated by peacekeeping personnel, including children fathered by peacekeepers, were made during the course of MINUSTAH.To date no epidemiological studies have analyzed the distribution and consequences of sexual misconduct perpetrated by MINUSTAH peacekeepers. This research will: (1) Explore the association between location (rural, semi-urban, urban) and the sharing of narratives about sexual misconduct perpetrated by MINUSTAH peacekeepers; (2) Investigate the relationship between sharing narratives about sexual misconduct and the desire to engage with the UN/MINUSTAH. MethodsIn 2017, a cross-sectional survey was administered by Haitian research assistants using SenseMaker®, a rapid mixed-methods data collection tool that allows participants to share a narrative on a topic of interest. In total, 2541 self-interpreted narratives pertaining to the experiences of women/girls in relation to the UN were collected across Haiti. Secondary data analysis using logbinomial regression modeled the relationships of interest. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4. Results(1) After adjustment, Haitians living in rural areas were more likely (RR rural : 1.19; 95% CI: 1. 03, 1.38) to share a narrative about sexual misconduct, compared to Haitians living in urban areas.(2) The association between sharing narratives of sexual misconduct and willingness to engage with the UN was modified by who the narrative was about. Haitians who expressed personal experiences of sexual misconduct were more likely (RR sex : 4.52; 95% CI: 3.34, 6.12) to reject the UN/MINUSTAH, compared to Haitians who shared personal positive/neutral narratives of MINUSTAH. ConclusionsNarratives of civilian-peacekeeper sexual misconduct are geographically distributed and associated with rejecting the UN/MINUSTAH. This epidemiological analysis is an empirical steppingstone to understanding the distribution and consequences of peacekeeper perpetrated sexual misconduct.

show abstract

Peacekeeping, Compliance with International Norms, and Transactional Sex in Monrovia, Liberia

Cited by 75 publications

References 41 publications

A security dividend: Peacekeeping and maternal health outcomes and access

A security dividend: Peacekeeping and maternal health outcomes and access

Sex, Statistics, Peacekeepers and Power: UN Data on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and the Quest for Legal Reform

The Distribution and Consequences of Sexual Misconduct by Peacekeepers in Haiti: A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Analysis

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About