DR Congo: UN to push ahead with efforts to curb abuse allegations for blue helmets

Although the number of misconduct allegations for blue helmets serving in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is on the decline, the top United Nations envoy to the country today vowed to press ahead with efforts to prevent and act on accusations of sexual exploitation and abuse.

A new report issued by the Conduct and Discipline Unit of the UN mission in the DRC (MONUC) “indicates that preventive action to train personnel, monitor behaviour and act on allegations is producing results,” said Alan Doss, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative.

“We will not relax our efforts,” he vowed.

Allegations are categorized according to their severity, with Category I offenses including behaviour such as sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), serious fraud and abuse of authority, while Category II offenses pertain to personnel matters, contract disputes, misuse of equipment and small theft, among others.

According to the report, Category I allegations dropped from 66 in 2007 to 56 last year, and within these instances, the number of sexual abuse and exploitation allegations fell from 48 in 2007 to 38 in 2008.

The number of Category II allegations is also on the wane, with 202 allegations received last year, as opposed to 294 the year before. In 2008, 15 of the allegations pertaining to reported sexual abuse and exploitation mainly involved breaches of curfew. MONUC peacekeepers are prohibited from visiting bars frequented by prostitutes or areas that are off-limits for security reasons.

Some 31,000 MONUC personnel have been briefed and trained on sexual abuse and exploitation last year, with the Conduct and Discipline Unit visiting field sites regularly to assess the quality of training.

Additionally, the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) requires that all peacekeeping personnel attend training on sexual exploitation and abuse upon arriving in the mission area and every year thereafter for as long as they are employed by the mission.

The UN has imposed a zero-tolerance policy against sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeepers, and senior officials have reiterated in recent years that this means there is no impunity for blue helmets who engage in such practices.

Last July, top officials serving with MONUC, one of the largest UN missions in the world, set up a conduct and discipline advisory committee comprising senior advisers and others to monitor and ensure that the highest standards of conduct and discipline are maintained.