‘They Were Going to the Beach, Acting like Tourists, Drinking, Chasing Girls’: A Mixed-Methods Study on Community Perceptions of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti

King, Carla; Lee, Sabine; Bartels, Susan A.

doi:10.5334/sta.766

Cited by 16 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…The 18 in-depth interviews on which the analysis is based were conducted between October and December 2017 with women in Haiti who were raising peacekeeper-fathered children. This qualitative research followed a larger mixed-methods study conducted from June to August 2017 (King et al, 2020;Lee and Bartels, 2020;Vahedi et al, 2021aVahedi et al, , 2021b.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The survival and material needs of Haitian women and girls are risk factors for transactional sex with peacekeepers (Vahedi et al, 2019;King et al, 2020). The greatest risk of conceiving a peacekeeper-fathered child lies at the intersection of power imbalances rooted in an adverse socio-economic context and adolescent girls' lower sexual agency with respect to accessing j JOURNAL OF AGGRESSION, CONFLICT AND PEACE RESEARCH j sexual/reproductive health services/information.…”

Section: Micro Level: Targeting Personal Knowledge Experiences Attitudes and Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Proactive and reactive responses to pregnancies resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse: an ecological model based on Haitian survivors’ experiences

Vahedi

Lee

Bartels

2021

JACPR

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Purpose This paper aims to analyze the lived experience of seeking justice and reparations related to conceiving a peacekeeper-fathered child. Design/methodology/approach Based on 18 semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted across Haiti in 2017, the authors mapped the experiences of Haitian mothers of peacekeeper-fathered children onto the ecological framework, proposing prevention/response strategies at the micro, meso and macro levels. Findings The findings mainly focus on reporting and access to support. Reporting was sometimes discouraged by the peacekeeper fathers due to the fear of being reprimanded. Among women who did report, some were told that nothing could be done, as the peacekeeper returned to his home country. Disclosure fatigue was common among participants who formally reported their pregnancies/peacekeeper-fathered children, particularly when promises of employment or child support failed to materialize. Overall, there was widespread distrust and disillusionment with the UN’s reporting and support system. Originality/value To improve the UN’s sexual abuse and exploitation prevention/response system at the micro level, the authors propose addressing personal knowledge/attitudes/beliefs through scenario-based and contextually relevant peacekeeper training and addressing the sexual/reproductive health needs of women and girls in proximity to peacekeeping bases. At the meso level, the UN should improve trust in reporting. Efforts to do so should include mandatory third-party deoxyribonucleic acid testing and banking, streamlined reporting mechanisms and removing the practice of automatically repatriating implicated peacekeepers. At the macro level, the authors recommend investments to improve educational and economic opportunities for women and girls, as well as revamping policies that contribute to impunity and absolve peacekeepers and troop-contributing countries of their responsibilities to provide child support.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Micro Level: Targeting Personal Knowledge Experiences Attitudes and Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Proactive and reactive responses to pregnancies resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse: an ecological model based on Haitian survivors’ experiences

Vahedi

Lee

Bartels

2021

JACPR

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“…The original study was designed to examine local perceptions about interactions between MINUSTAH personnel and local women and girls. Separately published analyses from the same dataset have focused on sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by MINUSTAH personnel (37) as well as peacekeeper-fathered children in…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(45,46) Recent empirical research has highlighted this sexual exploitation and abuse and shed light on children born as a result. (37,38,47) Finally, it is important to note that over the years, several humanitarian and foreign aid debacles have been documented in Haiti, both pre-earthquake (48) and post-earthquake.…”

Section: Legacy Of Colonialismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Bartels

Fraulin

Lee

2020

Preprint

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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.

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“…Peacekeepers have been tied to cases of rape in the Central African Republic (HRW, 2016) and in South Sudan (The Guardian, 2018). Studies have also found evidence of vast sexual exploitation in Haiti , King et. al.…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 98%

Measuring Success from Below: The Social Legitimacy of the United Nations among Populations Exposed to its Peacekeeping Operations

Diman

2020

SSRN Journal

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The success of peacekeeping forces is both a topic of heated debate and a central theme in the literature on international peacekeeping. Most existing answers to this question rely on onedimensional macro-measures of effectiveness, such as battle fatalities. This paper proposes another perspective that is based on the point of view of local residents in countries that host United Nations peacekeepers. It argues that their support is an indicator of success, since they evaluate the institutional effectiveness of the peacekeepers they are exposed to. Using an aggregation of longitudinal data from the World Values Survey (N=25,196), and original data on the exposure to peacekeepers collected from the United Nations archives, we offer a unique, systematic and cross-national measurement of the local legitimacy of peacekeeping forces. Results from a multilevel, mixed-effects, linear model show significantly lower levels of confidence in the United Nations and higher levels of demand for the accountability of its forces in countries with an active peacekeeping operation. The level of confidence has a strong and negative correlation with the size of the mission, even when controlled for varied ideological explanations and for confidence extrapolation. The paper contributes to an ongoing debate on international peacekeeping and to research on the legitimacy of international organizations. Acknowledgments: The author would like to thank Arie Kacowicz, Daniel Wajner and Georgina Y. Johnson for comments on earlier drafts of the paper. All of the responsibility on its contents are on the author alone.

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‘They Were Going to the Beach, Acting like Tourists, Drinking, Chasing Girls’: A Mixed-Methods Study on Community Perceptions of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeepers in Haiti

Cited by 16 publications

References 44 publications

Proactive and reactive responses to pregnancies resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse: an ecological model based on Haitian survivors’ experiences

Proactive and reactive responses to pregnancies resulting from sexual exploitation and abuse: an ecological model based on Haitian survivors’ experiences

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

Measuring Success from Below: The Social Legitimacy of the United Nations among Populations Exposed to its Peacekeeping Operations

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