Peacekeeper Training on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: Adding a gendered perspective

Abstract

The United Nations (UN) promote gender equality and the fight against sexual violence on a global scale. Highlighting gender (in)equality and its effect on people are fundamental elements in promoting equality between sex and gender, regardless of the hierarchy, environment and social background. When addressing gender equality, it is essential to understand that the UNs gender mainstreaming agenda is merely a tool used to work towards gender equality. Sexual violence is recognised as a global issue, and the UN has promoted its work in combatting Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). However, when it comes to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) by UN peacekeepers, this has received too little attention in the international arena, including the world of academia. Although the issue has been discussed within academics, the attention seems to peak in the aftermath of violations. As a result of the Secretary Generals' Bulletins published in 2003, the attention for Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by peacekeepers rose. Despite this, the UN has been criticised for painting the perpetrators of SEA as "a few bad apples" rather than acknowledging a more significant systemic flaw. This paper examines the gaps of the UNs gender mainstreaming agenda within the Specialized Training Materials (STMs) on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) by UN peacekeepers. Factors such as militarized masculinity, patriarchy and gender (in)equality are heavily discussed topics within the realm of SEA and provide possible explanations as to why this is happening. Using concepts from feminist research and a perspective on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Othering, this thesis makes the argument for a need to add knowledge on gender perspectives and a focus on GBV into the PSEA curriculum as part of the larger mainstreaming agenda. It is crucial for the general fight for gender equality that the UN shift its focus from simply "adding women" to a more genuine representation of men and women as more than their "femininity and masculinity". A thematic analysis of the PSEA training materials was conducted by drawing on the conceptual framework and led to the key findings of possible implementations of a gendered perspective to the STMs.

Keywords: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, UN peacekeeping, training, gender mainstreaming, feminist research, gender-based violence, male survivors, LGBT+, Othering

Key concepts: Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, UN peacekeeping, training, gender mainstreaming, gender equality, feminist research, gender-based violence, male survivors, LGBT+, Othering