This sub-theme provides information relevant to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeepers in Peacekeeping mandated countries.

It is vital that peacekeepers do not abuse the trust placed in them by the populations they are meant to protect. Sexual exploitation and Abuse (SEA) as defined by the United Nations is “any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, social or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.”

The issue of SEA is one that first arose publically in 2001 and has since received significant attention. Several policies and programs have been put in place to address SEA within the UN context. Significant challenges remain however in ensuring that those responsible are held accountable – in particular by their own governments who bear primary responsibility for this.