In addition to their more official activities as peacekeepers, staff members and troops stationed within a
conflict zone interact with the community. The impact of these daily interactions between peacekeeping
forces and local populations can range from a temporary boost in the local economy, to rare but damaging
instances where peacekeepers participate in crime,
including sexual violence and human trafficking.
Criminal activity is a common occurrence in states
stricken by war. Wars erode the ability of governments
to enforce the law and as citizens witness violence and
instability, it becomes easier for them to accept and
even participate in illicit or illegal behavior.54 Respect
for the rule-of-law in post-conflict societies does not
suddenly improve when conflict stops.55 In the new
wave of peacekeeping missions that followed the end
of the cold war, the UN often implemented policing
as well as peacekeeping56 and previous sections speak
to their effectiveness in protecting civilians. A problem arises, though, when peacekeepers are the ones in
need of policing.
With the breakdown of law and order during war,
atrocities are more likely to occur, and the longer a
war lasts, the more numerous these incidents will
be. A cease-fire supervised by peacekeepers and associated local security operations diminishes criminal activity if the operation is at all successful. This
provides a clear relative advantage for peacekeeping
versus war continuation, but peacekeeping soldiers
can also create problems with the local community.
Peacekeepers have fathered children with local women and abandoned them at the end of their time in the
host country.57 Peacekeepers have also been implicated in rape and human trafficking.58 In an attempt
to prevent these outcomes, the United Nations has
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