Suchergebnisse

Why do so many post–civil war societies continue to be characterized by widespread violence and political instability? Or, more succinctly, why do peace processes so often fail to consolidate peace? Addressing this question, Jasmine-Kim Westendorf explores how the international community engages in resolving civil wars—and clarifies why, despite the best of intentions and the investment of significant resources, external actors fail in their reconstruction efforts and even contribute to perpetuating the very conditions of insecurity and conflict that they are trying to alleviate

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. The History and Nature of Sexual Misconduct in Peace Operations -- 2. Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Bosnia and Timor-Leste -- 3. Making Matters Worse: The Long-Term Impacts of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse -- 4. Legitimacy in Crisis: The Impacts of Sexual Misconduct on Capacity and Credibility -- Conclusion: One Problem among Many? An Integrated Response to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index

Abstract
Twenty years ago, the UN adopted a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by its personnel. After prohibiting sex with children and the exchange of sex for "cash, food and things," it "strongly discourages" sexual relationships with beneficiaries because "they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics" and undermine the UN's credibility and integrity. Taking inspiration from the critical feminist project of understanding what happens when feminist ideas and projects become institutionalised, I consider the effectiveness and unintended consequences of the policy's discouraged relationships standard. I argue that by centring an "inherent power imbalance" between peacekeepers and local people, the policy undermines the UN's capacity to meaningfully address that imbalance in practice. Moreover, the discouraged relationships standard diminishes the policy's perceived legitimacy among staff, with ramifications beyond the prevention and punishment of sexual misconduct. Based on research in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Timor-Leste, Geneva, and New York, this article generates insights about the persistent challenges to preventing and punishing SEA and situates them in relation to broader questions around how international missions view and interact with local populations, and how this affects the integrity and effectiveness of their work.

Twenty years ago, the UN adopted a zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by its personnel. After prohibiting sex with children and the exchange of sex for "cash, food and things," it "strongly discourages" sexual relationships with beneficiaries because "they are based on inherently unequal power dynamics" and undermine the UN's credibility and integrity. Taking inspiration from the critical feminist project of understanding what happens when feminist ideas and projects become institutionalised, I consider the effectiveness and unintended consequences of the policy's discouraged relationships standard. I argue that by centring an "inherent power imbalance" between peacekeepers and local people, the policy undermines the UN's capacity to meaningfully address that imbalance in practice. Moreover, the discouraged relationships standard diminishes the policy's perceived legitimacy among staff, with ramifications beyond the prevention and punishment of sexual misconduct. Based on research in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Timor-Leste, Geneva, and New York, this article generates insights about the persistent challenges to preventing and punishing SEA and situates them in relation to broader questions around how international missions view and interact with local populations, and how this affects the integrity and effectiveness of their work.

Abstract
This paper is about the intersection of technological utopianism with the safeguarding rush in international aid and the DNA imaginations that it has given rise to. It explores the implications of the centering of DNA technology in efforts to prevent and punish sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers and asks what types of accountability DNA approaches yield. The article examines the discursive power of DNA imaginaries in shaping the politics and practice of safeguarding in the humanitarian sector. We consider the type of solutionism at play in the technological imaginary of consumer genomics as an appropriate mode of "catching" sexual predators among aid workers, as well as to the political interests in getting safeguarding "implemented" as rapidly (and simply) as possible. We argue that there are significant implications emerging from how the "turn to DNA" ties genetic and racialized biosurveillance to humanitarian accountability. This concerns how the humanitarian system thinks about consent and coercion and about children's rights and bodily integrity. Moreover, we argue that drawing from the current moral crisis of safeguarding in aid, the project itself exemplifies how a discursive (white) genetic nationalism was able to shore up considerable political support and financial resources from Australian and UK political actors with little critical attention.