Do No Harm

Addressing sexual exploitation and abuse in peacekeeping and humanitarian response

Although the vast majority of peacekeeping humanitarian personnel conduct their work with the utmost care, respect and professionalism, a small portion perpetrate sexual exploitation and abuse against the populations they are supposed to support and protect. Unfortunately, the behaviours of these few can have serious consequences for the long-term outcomes of peace processes and humanitarian support. This project is led by Associate Professor Jasmine Westendorf and is currently funded by the ARC Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Scheme. It investigates the nature, scale and impacts of sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian operations, and the challenges facing effective prevention and accountability efforts.

This project incorporates extensive fieldwork globally with communities receiving international assistance, research with aid workers about their own perspectives and experiences related to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and deep engagement across the UN and humanitarian systems on questions of policy approaches and challenges, including on the challenges of internal justice mechanisms.

The project aims to generate data on the nature and effects of such abuses and evaluate current policy responses, including through exploring the limitations of current accountability frameworks and mechanisms. It will contribute to an enhanced understanding of the patterns of sexual misconduct, the different ways vulnerability manifests in different conflict and crisis contexts, and how intervener behaviours affect the outcomes of international operations. This will contribute to more effective international engagement in humanitarian and conflict contexts, better protection for vulnerable communities and will help address the legitimacy crisis facing humanitarian action and peacekeeping.

Books

J Westendorf, Violating Peace: Sex, Aid and Peacekeeping, Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2020.
J Westendorf and Elliot Dolan-Evans* (eds.) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid, Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2024.

Articles

J Westendorf and K M Jennings, ‘Elusive accountability: governing sexual exploitation and abuse under the grip of sexual violence in war,’ International Affairs, 101(2), March 2025, Pages 603–622, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae326
J Westendorf, J Bian*, M Daigle, K Jennings, A Potts*, M Reddick**, C Massonneau**, G Gamhewage** & ME Mahmoud**, ‘Sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in humanitarian contexts’ Bulletin of the World Health Organization (invited contribution to sexual health theme issue), Dec 2024. DOI: 10.2471/blt.24.291655
J Westendorf, ‘Troubling masculinities: Researching sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers’, Peacebuilding (Special Issue), 12(4), December 2024, pp. 518-536. https://doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2024.2384200
Kristin Bergtora Sandvik & J Westendorf, ‘Safeguarding Sex: The Technopolitics of Humanitarian Genomic Accountability,’ Global Studies Quarterly, 3(2), April 2023, ksad032, https://doi.org/10.1093/isagsq/ksad032
J Westendorf, ‘A Problem of Rules: Sexual exploitation and UN legitimacy,’ International Studies Quarterly, 67(3) September 2023, sqad046, https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqad046
J Westendorf, ‘Sex on mission: care, control and coloniality in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations,’ International Affairs, 99(4), July 2023, Pages 1653–1672, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiad119
J Westendorf & Louise Searle**, ‘Sexual exploitation and abuse in peace operations: trends, policy responses, and future directions,’ International Affairs, 93(2), March 2017, pp. 365-387. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix001

Book chapters

J Westendorf, ‘Masculinities and Institutional Blind Spots’ in J Westendorf and E Dolan-Evans* (eds.) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid, Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2024.
A Naik** & J Westendorf, ‘Missing the Mark in Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse’ in J Westendorf and E Dolan-Evans* (eds.) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid, Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2024.
J Westendorf, ‘Rethinking PSEA: Reflections for Policy Makers’ in J Westendorf and E Dolan-Evans* (eds.) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid, Bristol: Bristol University Press, 2024.
J Westendorf & E Dolan-Evans*, ‘Two Decades of Dealing with Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid’ in Westendorf & Dolan-Evans* (eds.) Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping and Aid, Bristol UP, 2024.
J Westendorf, ‘Women, Peace and Security and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Peacekeeping Operations,’ in The Oxford Handbook of Women Peace and Security, Sara E. Davies and Jacqui True (eds.), Oxford UP, 2019.

Media and op eds

J Westendorf, ‘Do no harm: The challenge of transactional sex in humanitarian operations,’ Humanitarian Alternatives (industry journal), March 2021. Available at https://alternatives-humanitaires.org/en/2021/03/24/do-no-harm-the-challenge-of-transactional-sex-in-humanitarian-operations/ (Published simultaneously in French as ‘«Ne pas nuire»: le défi du sexe transactionnel dans les opérations humanitaires’, Alternatives Humanitaires, Mars 2021. https://alternatives-humanitaires.org/fr/2021/03/24/ne-pas-nuire-le-defi-du-sexe-transactionnel-dans-les-operations-humanitaires/)
J Westendorf, ‘Why transactional sex is difficult to stop in the aid sector’, The New Humanitarian (industry news outlet), 6 October 2020. Available at https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2020/10/06/sexual-abuse-aid-workers-again
J Westendorf, ‘Why transactional sex is difficult to stop in the aid sector’, Thompson-Reuters Foundation, 7 October 2020. Available at https://news.trust.org/item/20201007083328-cye5b
J Westendorf, ‘Sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers is shocking and shameful. Why does it persist?’ ABC News, 15 June 2020. Available at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-15/united-nations-un-peacekeeping-sexual-exploitation-abuse/12286664
J Westendorf,‘Covid-19 is not the biggest threat to UN peacekeeping’ Lowy Interpreter, 18 May 2020. Available at https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/covid-19-not-biggest-threat-un-peacekeeping
J Westendorf, ‘Violating peace: What you didn’t know about sexual abuse in peace operations’, International Affairs Blog, August 15 2019. Available at https://medium.com/international-affairs-blog/violating-peace-what-you-didnt-know-about-sexual-abuse-in-peace-operations-b71db75dfbb0
J Westendorf and Alicia Luedke, 'Why Isn’t Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Treated the Same as Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Contexts?' Peace Research Institute Oslo Blog, 20 November 2017. Available at www.blogs.prio.org/2017/11/why-isnt-sexual-exploitation-abuse-treated-the-same-as-gender-based-violence-in-humanitarian-contexts/
J Westendorf, ‘Connecting WPS, Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in peace operations can improve policy and practice' London School of Economic Center for WPS Blog, 5 October 2017. Available at http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/wps/2017/10/05/connecting-the-dots-between-women-peace-and-security-conflict-related-sexual-violence-and-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse-in-peace-operations-can-improve-policy-and-practice/

Policy and industry engagement

2023-24: Member of the Steering Committee for the Common Approach to Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse and Sexual Harassment
2020: Expert witness in the UK House of Commons International Development Committee Inquiry on progress on tackling the sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector. October 2020.
2025: Working with the UN in Ethiopia to research and develop new training approaches on prevention and reporting of GBV and SEA, funded by UNICEF.
2023-2024: Contracted by the International Organization for Migration to develop a training guide for staff on how to run focus group discussions for the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, and a guide for ongoing staff engagement in discussions regarding the same topic.
2020: Delivered a training presentation to INTERPOL’s Soteria Law Enforcement Agencies Working Group on working on SEA/H in peacekeeping and aid sectors.
2019: Delivered a training on SEA to Senior African peacekeeper trainers as part of the United States Institute of Peace’s Conflict Management Training for Peacekeepers revised curriculum roll out.

Image credit: A UN Unmanned/Unarmed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is taxiing in at Goma airport following a successful flight during an official ceremony with USG for UN Peacekeeping Operations Herve Ladsous, 3 December 2013. © MONUSCO/Sylvain Liechti