2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

STATUS OF REFORM
Protection
n
n
n
UN Staff Regulations now classify sexual
exploitation and abuse as a form of serious
misconduct subject to disciplinary action,
including summary dismissal.
Non-UN Personnel: Consultants, individual
contractors, volunteers, military observers
and civilian police are legally bound by
the standards of the Secretary-General’s
2003 bulletin. All contracts and “letters of
undertaking” now include these standards.
Conduct and Discipline Teams: The Department
of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), which
is charged with implementing the UN’s
comprehensive strategy on addressing all
aspects of sexual exploitation and abuse, has
“Conduct and Discipline Teams” (CDTs) in
place at UN headquarters and at almost all
UN peacekeeping missions, with some CDTs
covering more than one mission.
The CDTs are charged with informing local
communities of the UN’s zero-tolerance
policy on sexual exploitation and procedures
for reporting abuse, receiving complaints,
carrying out initial assessments of allegations,
and determining whether specific allegations
should be reported to the Office of Internal
Oversight Services (OIOS) as Category I
(serious offenses) warranting full OIOS
investigations. Category II (less serious)
allegations are handled by the peacekeeping
mission itself.
Prevention
n
n
Mission Prevention Measures: Where there
have been allegations of sexual exploitation
and abuse, UN peacekeeping missions
have instituted additional prevention
measures such as “off-limits premises and
areas,” curfews, telephone hotlines, and the
requirement that all mission personnel must
wear their uniforms at all times.
Case Tracking System: DPKO established a
secure Web-based software program to track
all sexual exploitation and abuse cases, and to
ensure that those personnel who have been
dismissed or repatriated for sexual exploitation
n
n
n
and abuse violations are barred from serving
in future UN missions. A comprehensive
database that will be accessible to all UN
missions is in the final stages of development.
Training Modules: DPKO implemented three
training modules for different levels of
personnel. DPKO’s pre-deployment training
modules on preventing sexual exploitation
and abuse are mandatory for all UN military
and civilian personnel; however, DPKO is not
able to verify that troop contributing countries
(TCCs) have carried out the training. All
personnel arriving at UN missions are made
aware of the UN’s standards of conduct and
“zero tolerance” policy, and receive sexual
exploitation and abuse prevention training.
Women Peacekeepers: DPKO is encouraging
TCCs to increase the number of women
peacekeepers at all levels, in part to facilitate
the UN’s task of encouraging the local
communities to report allegations and to
promote an environment that discourages
sexual exploitation and abuse. In January
2007, India was the first country to deploy
an all-female civilian police unit to the UN
mission in Liberia. In March 2007, DPKO
convened a small conference at the UN’s
Logistics Base in Brindisi, Italy with 30 gender
experts to discuss approaches for increasing
the number of women police officers in UN
peacekeeping missions.
Implementation by Management: Heads of UN
peacekeeping missions must now task civilian
managers and military commanders with
implementing the programs and policies of
the UN to eliminate sexual exploitation and
abuse. Civilian managers’ efforts to implement
the UN’s zero-tolerance policy on sexual
exploitation are formally evaluated.
n High-Level Discussion: In December 2006,
DPKO organized the “High-Level Conference
on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and
Abuse,” attended at senior levels by UN
agencies, funds, programs, Member States,
TCCs and NGOs. The conference revealed
an impressive level of attention to the issue,
across the spectrum of international responders
to conflict.
I n t e r n at i o n a l P e a c e k e e p e r s
231