‘Even peacekeepers expect something in return’: A qualitative analysis of sexual interactions between UN peacekeepers and female Haitians

2020

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Abstract Background: In October 2010, 10 months after a catastrophic earthquake, Haiti experienced the largest and most deadly cholera outbreak of the 21st century with 820,000 reported cases and up to 10,000 deaths. Nepalese United Nations (UN) peacekeepers are widely believed to have introduced cholera, and the UN formally accepted responsibility for the outbreak in 2016. The current analysis examines how Haitian community members experienced the cholera epidemic and documents their attitudes around accountability and delayed reparations from the UN.Methods: Using a narrative capture tool, 12 Haitian research assistants collected micronarratives in 2017 from participants surrounding 10 UN bases in Haiti. Seventy-seven micronarratives focused on cholera were selected for thematic analysis, which was conducted by two independent coders. Relevant stories were chosen to present a diverse selection of experiences and attitudes related to cholera.Results: Five major themes were identified: 1) Cholera cases and deaths; 2) Accessing care and services; 3) Protests and riots against the UN; 4) Reparations; and 5) Anti-colonialism. Findings highlight the fear and frustration caused by the cholera outbreak and the devastating impact it had on affected families and communities, which was compounded in some cases by an inability to access life-saving medical care. Widespread anger against the UN was also evident and led to protests and riots against the peacekeepers. Most participants believed that the UN should compensate cholera victims but there was significant misinformation about the reparation process. The UN’s culpability in the cholera epidemic provoked anti-colonial sentiments and a call to end the UN’s ‘occupation’ of Haiti.Conclusions: Haiti’s cholera victims and their families deserve clear and transparent updates from the UN and the committed material compensation for cholera must be delivered to affected families. Focused investments to improve access to safe water and adequate sanitation must be instituted to eradicate cholera in Haiti. To rebuild trust in the UN and foreign aid, the committed material compensation must be provided in partnership with local Haitians organizations who consult with community members throughout each step of the process.

Section: Legacy Of Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cholera in the Time of MINUSTAH: Experiences of Community Members Affected by Cholera in Haiti

Bartels

Fraulin

2020

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“…and narrative characteristics (emotional tone, protagonist, frequency of occurrence, etc.). This study design has also been described in other publications (41,42) The SenseMaker survey was originally drafted in English, then translated to Kreyol and independently back-translated to English. Translation discrepancies were resolved by agreement between the two translators.…”

Section: Sensemaker Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Distribution and Consequences of Sexual Misconduct by Peacekeepers in Haiti: A Cross-Sectional Epidemiological Analysis

Vahedi

Stuart

et al. 2020

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Background From 2004 to 2017, the UN sanctioned The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) to address Haiti's political instability. Reports of sexual misconduct perpetrated by peacekeeping personnel, including children fathered by peacekeepers, were made during the course of MINUSTAH.To date no epidemiological studies have analyzed the distribution and consequences of sexual misconduct perpetrated by MINUSTAH peacekeepers. This research will: (1) Explore the association between location (rural, semi-urban, urban) and the sharing of narratives about sexual misconduct perpetrated by MINUSTAH peacekeepers; (2) Investigate the relationship between sharing narratives about sexual misconduct and the desire to engage with the UN/MINUSTAH. MethodsIn 2017, a cross-sectional survey was administered by Haitian research assistants using SenseMaker®, a rapid mixed-methods data collection tool that allows participants to share a narrative on a topic of interest. In total, 2541 self-interpreted narratives pertaining to the experiences of women/girls in relation to the UN were collected across Haiti. Secondary data analysis using logbinomial regression modeled the relationships of interest. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS 9.4. Results(1) After adjustment, Haitians living in rural areas were more likely (RR rural : 1.19; 95% CI: 1. 03, 1.38) to share a narrative about sexual misconduct, compared to Haitians living in urban areas.(2) The association between sharing narratives of sexual misconduct and willingness to engage with the UN was modified by who the narrative was about. Haitians who expressed personal experiences of sexual misconduct were more likely (RR sex : 4.52; 95% CI: 3.34, 6.12) to reject the UN/MINUSTAH, compared to Haitians who shared personal positive/neutral narratives of MINUSTAH. ConclusionsNarratives of civilian-peacekeeper sexual misconduct are geographically distributed and associated with rejecting the UN/MINUSTAH. This epidemiological analysis is an empirical steppingstone to understanding the distribution and consequences of peacekeeper perpetrated sexual misconduct.

“…In this paper we use the term sexual misconduct to broadly include all sexual interactions between MINUSTAH peacekeepers and bene ciaries of assistance. While scholars have contested the UN's framing that all sexual interactions with peacekeepers are inherently abusive and exploitative and have illustrated the autonomy of some women vis-à-vis transactional sex (17,18), the purpose of the present work is to determine the distribution and consequences of sexual interactions with peacekeepers using population data, without further classifying the sexual relations.…”

Section: Peacekeeper Sexual Misconductmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A 2011 cross-sectional study in Libera estimated that 72% (95% CI: 68% to 76%) of women aged [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] had engaged in transactional sex (26). Risk factors positively associated with transactional sex included: low educational attainment, low income, increased duration of the relationship, early sexual debut, multiple sexual partners, and previous exposure to sexual violence.…”

Section: Prevalence Of Transactional Sex In Pomentioning

confidence: 99%

“…and narrative characteristics (emotional tone, protagonist, frequency of occurrence, etc.). This study design has also been described in other publications (17,45) The SenseMaker survey was originally drafted in English, then translated to Kreyol and independently back-translated to English. Translation discrepancies were resolved by agreement between the two translators.…”

Section: Sensemaker Surveymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Distribution and Consequences of Sexual Misconduct Perpetrated by Peacekeepers in Haiti: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Analysis

Vahedi

Stuart

et al. 2020

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Reports of sexual abuse and exploitation and children fathered by peacekeepers were made during the course of The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). This research (1) Explores the association between location (rural, semi-urban, urban) and the sharing of narratives about sexual misconduct perpetrated by MINUSTAH peacekeepers; (2) Investigates the relationship between sharing narratives about sexual misconduct and the desire to engage with the UN/MINUSTAH. In 2017, a cross-sectional survey was administered by Haitian research assistants using SenseMaker®, a rapid mixed-methods data collection tool that allows participants to share a narrative on a topic of interest. In total, 2541 self-interpreted narratives pertaining to the experiences of women/girls in relation to MINUSTAH were collected across Haiti. After adjustment, narratives from rural areas were more likely (RRrural: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.38) to address sexual misconduct, compared to narratives shared in urban areas. (2) Personal experiences of sexual misconduct were more likely (RRsex: 4.52; 95% CI: 3.34, 6.12) to be associated with rejection of the UN/MINUSTAH, compared to personal narratives of positive/neutral experiences. This research is an empirical steppingstone to understanding the distribution and consequences of peacekeeper perpetrated sexual abuse and exploitation in Haiti.