Children's Legal Rights Journal

Children’s Participation in Holding International Peacekeepers Accountable 13

operation. MINUSCA is comprised of more than 10,000 troops on the ground in CAR. 57 There was an expectation that the MINUSCA mandate would be extended beyond the November 2017 expiry date and indeed it has been extended, at the time of writing, to November 15, 2018.58

Importantly Security Council Resolution 2301, regarding the MINUSCA mandate date
extension, acknowledged that one of the prime indicators of the ongoing instability of the situation
in CAR was the continuing problem of international peacekeeper SEA, and the need for prevention
and accountability:
Welcoming the commitment of the Secretary-General to enforce strictly his
zero-tolerance policy on sexual exploitation and abuse, expressing grave
concern over numerous allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse
reportedly committed by peacekeepers in the CAR, as well as by non-United
Nations forces, stressing the urgent need for Troop-and Police-contributing
countries and, as appropriate, MINUSCA, to promptly investigate those
allegations in a credible and transparent manner and for those responsible for
such criminal offences or misconduct to be held to account, and further
stressing the need to prevent such exploitation and abuse and to improve how
these allegations are addressed…(emphasis added). 59

The problem of international peacekeeper SEA and its seemingly intractable persistence was also acknowledged in UN Security Council Resolution 2272:

Stressing that sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers undermines the implementation of peacekeeping mandates, as well as the credibility of United Nations peacekeeping, and reaffirming its support for the United Nations zero tolerance policy on all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse… 60

Expressing deep concern about the serious and continuous allegations and under-reporting of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers and non-United Nations forces,

57 BBC NEWS, France ends Sangaris military operation in CAR, BBC NEWS (Oct. 31, 2016), http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-37823047 (last visited Feb. 1, 2018).

58 UN Security Council Report, Central African Republic, http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/monthly- forecast/2017-11/ central_african_republic_23.php (last visited Feb. 1, 2018). See also UN News, Central African Republic: UN mission mandate extended, additional ‘blue helmets’ authorized ( 15 November, 2017), https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/11/636232-central-african-republic-un-mission-mandate-extended-additional- blue-helmets (last visited Feb. 25, 2018).