“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract Background The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has been marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of women and girls by UN peacekeepers. There is minimal research conducted on the perceptions of co...

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Autores principales:	Georgia Fraulin, Sabine Lee, Sandrine Lusamba, Susan A. Bartels
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	BMC 2021
Materias:	Democratic Republic of Congo MONUSCO Peacekeeping Sexual abuse and exploitation Adolescents Women and girls Special situations and conditions RC952-1245 Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid RC86-88.9
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/aa213d4c031c4a6e9b74ebfa1605f677
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:aa213d4c031c4a6e9b74ebfa1605f6772021-11-07T12:17:27Z“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo10.1186/s13031-021-00414-01752-1505https://doaj.org/article/aa213d4c031c4a6e9b74ebfa1605f6772021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13031-021-00414-0https://doaj.org/toc/1752-1505Abstract Background The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has been marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of women and girls by UN peacekeepers. There is minimal research conducted on the perceptions of communities most affected by the SEA themselves, and even less about those below the age of 18. Methods Using mixed-methods data, we examined the perceptions of adolescents aged 13–17 on how the lives of women and girls have been affected by the presence of UN peacekeepers within the DRC. SenseMaker, a mixed-methods narrative capture tool, was used to survey participants around six United Nations bases across eastern DRC. Each participant shared a story about the experiences of Congolese women and girls in relation to MONUSCO personnel and interpreted their own stories by answering a series of questions. Patterns of adolescent perspectives (aged 13–17) were analyzed in comparison to all other age groups and emerging qualitative themes were mapped onto quantitative variables. Results Quantitative data showed that adolescents were more likely, in comparison to all other age groups, to perceive interactions between peacekeepers and women/girls as being initiated by the woman/girl, that the MONUSCO personnel was perceived to be able to offer protection, and that the interactions between local women/girls and peacekeepers were sexual in nature. Three qualitative themes emerged: poverty bringing peacekeepers and women/girls together, material/financial gain through transactional sex and sex work, and support-seeking actions of affected women/girls. Conclusions Our mixed methods data illustrate the problematic finding that adolescents facing poverty may perceive SEA as protective through the monetary and material support gained. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on peacekeeping economies and have implications for the prevention of, and response to, peacekeeper-perpetrated SEA.Georgia FraulinSabine LeeSandrine LusambaSusan A. BartelsBMCarticleDemocratic Republic of CongoMONUSCOPeacekeepingSexual abuse and exploitationAdolescentsWomen and girlsSpecial situations and conditionsRC952-1245Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aidRC86-88.9ENConflict and Health, Vol 15, Iss 1, Pp 1-17 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Democratic Republic of Congo MONUSCO Peacekeeping Sexual abuse and exploitation Adolescents Women and girls Special situations and conditions RC952-1245 Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid RC86-88.9
spellingShingle	Democratic Republic of Congo MONUSCO Peacekeeping Sexual abuse and exploitation Adolescents Women and girls Special situations and conditions RC952-1245 Medical emergencies. Critical care. Intensive care. First aid RC86-88.9 Georgia Fraulin Sabine Lee Sandrine Lusamba Susan A. Bartels “It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
description	Abstract Background The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has been marred by widespread allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of women and girls by UN peacekeepers. There is minimal research conducted on the perceptions of communities most affected by the SEA themselves, and even less about those below the age of 18. Methods Using mixed-methods data, we examined the perceptions of adolescents aged 13–17 on how the lives of women and girls have been affected by the presence of UN peacekeepers within the DRC. SenseMaker, a mixed-methods narrative capture tool, was used to survey participants around six United Nations bases across eastern DRC. Each participant shared a story about the experiences of Congolese women and girls in relation to MONUSCO personnel and interpreted their own stories by answering a series of questions. Patterns of adolescent perspectives (aged 13–17) were analyzed in comparison to all other age groups and emerging qualitative themes were mapped onto quantitative variables. Results Quantitative data showed that adolescents were more likely, in comparison to all other age groups, to perceive interactions between peacekeepers and women/girls as being initiated by the woman/girl, that the MONUSCO personnel was perceived to be able to offer protection, and that the interactions between local women/girls and peacekeepers were sexual in nature. Three qualitative themes emerged: poverty bringing peacekeepers and women/girls together, material/financial gain through transactional sex and sex work, and support-seeking actions of affected women/girls. Conclusions Our mixed methods data illustrate the problematic finding that adolescents facing poverty may perceive SEA as protective through the monetary and material support gained. These findings contribute to the growing body of literature on peacekeeping economies and have implications for the prevention of, and response to, peacekeeper-perpetrated SEA.
format	article
author	Georgia Fraulin Sabine Lee Sandrine Lusamba Susan A. Bartels
author_facet	Georgia Fraulin Sabine Lee Sandrine Lusamba Susan A. Bartels
author_sort	Georgia Fraulin
title	“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
title_short	“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
title_full	“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
title_fullStr	“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
title_full_unstemmed	“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo
title_sort	“it was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the democratic republic of congo
publisher	BMC
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/aa213d4c031c4a6e9b74ebfa1605f677
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“It was with my consent since he was providing me with money”: a mixed methods study of adolescent perspectives on peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of Congo

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