Child safeguarding in a peacekeeping context: lessons from Liberia

Blakemore, S., Freedman, R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3037-9026 and Lemay-Hébert, N. (2019) Child safeguarding in a peacekeeping context: lessons from Liberia. Development in Practice, 29 (6). pp. 735-747. ISSN 0961-4524 doi: 10.1080/09614524.2019.1614148

Abstract/Summary

This article reviews how peacekeeping officials safeguard children from sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in Liberia, more than 15 years after the landmark reports published on this issue. Based on original fieldwork conducted in Liberia and in New York, this article introduces an innovative framework to assess whether or not organisations effectively safeguard children from SEA. This article reviews three interrelated issues: reinforcing the institutional environment in the country, strengthening prevention of and accountability for child SEA by UN actors. This article concludes with specific policy recommendations for actors involved in peacekeeping activities.