Impunity and Institutional Failure: Assessing Accountability Gaps in UN Peacekeeper Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) in Africa

Abstract United Nations (UN) peacekeeping missions, deployed to protect civilians and restore stability, have faced serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), particularly in African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Alarmingly, SEA has occurred within gender-focused structures such as the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) program and Gender Advisory Units, designed to advance gender equality under UN frameworks like Resolution 1325. This paper examines how systemic failures, patriarchal norms, and militarized masculinities enable SEA impunity, undermining the UN’s Zero Tolerance Policy. Using Cynthia Enloe’s feminist framework, it highlights the paradox of gender-focused peacekeeping initiatives inadvertently facilitating exploitation. Divided into three sections, the Present research paper explores: 1. The Paradox of SEA in UN Peacekeeping– This section of the present research paper will examine how peacekeeping missions have harmed vulnerable populations in Africa. 2. Institutional Failures, Accountability Gaps and the Patriarchal Roots of Impunity – This section will explore Factors sustaining SEA within gender-focused structures through Cynthia Enloe’s perspective on militarized masculinity, structural silencing, and broader implications of SEA. 3. Concluding Remarks – This section of the present paper will suggest systemic reforms to address the institutional failure enabling SEA. .