Predatory peacekeeping

[JSE]( [Mail & Guardian Newsletter logo](#) [mg.co.za]( [The Ampersand Daily Newsletter from the M&G team](#) [Divider Strip] September 30 2020 | [View in browser]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( Hi there, There is a perverse Trojan Horse that has continually popped up in Africa since the beginning of the aid industrial complex. Men arrive from Western aid groups and other nongovernmental organisations dressed in uniform, promising the noblest of intentions -- only to devastate the lives of those they leave in their wake. We are reminded of this practice thanks to a critical investigation by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian. Robert Flummerfelt and Nellie Peyton have uncovered that more than 50 women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have [accused Ebola aid workers]( from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other prominent NGOs of sexual abuse. In interviews, the women offered similar accounts of their abuse in what appears to be a widespread phenomenon during the 2018 to 2020 Ebola crisis. The alleged victims said they had either been propositioned by the aid workers, been forced to have sex in exchange for a job or been fired after they had refused. Despite "zero tolerance" policies and pledges by the United Nations and NGOs to crack down on such abuses, as exposed previously in [Haiti]( and [Central African Republic]( reports of such behaviour continue to surface. The UN's policy has led to an increase in reporting but not a reduction of cases, and strategies and protocols put in place to improve information-sharing -- within the UN and with NGOs too -- and to launch more timely investigations have not led to more assistance and justice for survivors themselves. As we reported back in 2016, the International Day of UN Peacekeepers [continues to be seen in a different light](. The day was established to honour the memory of UN peacekeepers who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. It pays tribute to all the men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage. There are still some exceptional individuals who are willing to risk their lives in crisis zones, but unfortunately systemic abuse will continue to overshadow their efforts until it is rooted out. Yours in solidarity, Kiri Rupiah & Luke Feltham [Divider Strip] [Gendar]( [Divider Strip] [DDP]( [Divider Strip] [Facebook icon]( [Twitter icon]( [Instagram icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( You are receiving this email on {EMAIL} because 1.) You're a member of "Mail & Guardian" or 2.) previously subscribed [M&G logo] 25 Owl St, Braamfontein Werf, Johannesburg, 2092 Want to be removed? No problem! [UNSUBSCRIBE]( Email support: help@media-connect.co.za - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -