A seminar on good practices
Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the context of UN peacekeeping operations: a seminar on good practices by Troop Contributing Countries | Brasília, 5 December 2016
Edited by Maria Isabela Rodrigues Pla
This publication is the result of a partnership between Keeping Children Safe and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government, the latter the funder of this project, which involved the organisation of a seminar at the British Embassy in Brasília, Brazil, in December 2016.
The event brought together UN personnel, representatives of the Brazilian Government and members of civil society to discuss strategies to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of children committed in the context of UN peacekeeping operations and launch a special report by Keeping Children Safe Safeguarding children from sexual exploitation and abuse in the context of UN peacekeeping operations (PDF).
The seminar also included representatives from a number of prominent Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to UN peacekeeping operations, including: Nepal, Nigeria, Angola, Canada, Haiti, Morocco, Canada, and Germany. It was divided into two panels, The Scale of Our Task and Working Together to Tackle the Problem.
Speakers and audience were invited to contribute to the discussions by sharing their experiences and concerns and exploring strategies that could be taken by TCCs to deal with the issue. The seminar focused specifically on measures to address the increase in allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed against children.
Although the last decade has seen commendable progress in tackling SEA, in 2016 the number of allegations against UN peacekeepers actually increased when compared to the four previous years. There were 79 complaints registered against all category of personnel in UN missions in 2016, against 69 in 2015, 52 in 2014, 66 in 2013, and 60 in 2012.
Even more alarmingly, 42 of the last year’s allegations concerned abuses perpetrated against children (under 18 years old). This is the second largest number of cases involving minors so-far reported by the UN (the largest number was registered in 2009, when 51 allegations have been raised).
You can download the full report here.
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