Index of UN Peacekeeper-Perpetrated Sexual Exploitation and Abuse is an 18-item, 8-indicator index to understand the degree to which sexual interactions between local women and United Nations Peacekeepers were abusive or exploitative.
Geographies Tested: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Populations Included: Female, Male
Age Range: Adolescents, Adults
Read the following three story phrases and decide which one interests you most:
a. Think of a women or girl who lives near a UN base. Share a specific story that illustrates the best or worst things for her because of living near the base.
b. Think of a women or girl who has interacted with UN personnel in the community. Share a specific example of a positive or negative experience that she has had as a result of her interaction with UN personnel.
c. Think of a women or girl in a community that hosts a peacekeeping mission. Tell a story about how the presence of UN workers has helped or harmed her.
1. The story is about:
Response Options:
Lack of protection
Poverty
Gender inequality
2. What was the nature of the interaction in the story?
Response Options:
BusinessTransactional
Voluntary
Sexual
3. In the story, it would have helped the women most to have support from:
Response Options:
NGO or civil society organizations
UN or MONUSCO
Local chiefs and communities
4. In the story who was responsible for the events:
Response Options:
Individual Girl or Woman
UN or MONUSCO
Community
5. The events in the story were in the best interest of:
Response Options:
GirlWomen
Family
UN Personnel
6. The Interactions and relation you shared in the story were:
Response Options:
Entirely initiated by foreign UN or MONUSCO personnel
Entirely initiated by the womengirl
7. In the story shared the peacekeeping mission:
Response Options:
Provided the womangirl with too much protection and safety
Put the womangirl at risk or in danger
8. In relation to the woman or girl in your story those in power:
Response Options:
Did nothing to support the womangirl
Provided her with too much support
9. As a result of the interaction with the UN, the social status of the woman or girl was:
Response Options:
Improved too much as a result of the interaction
Diminished as a result of the interaction
10. Who is the story about?
Response Options:
Someone else
About me
About someone in my family
d. Something I heard or read about
e. Prefer not to say
11. How often do events in your story occur in the community?
Response Options:
Rarely
Occasionally
Regularly
All the time
Not sure
12. What is emotional tone of the story?
Response Options:
Strongly negative
Negative
Neutral
Positive
Strongly positive
Prefer not to say
13. How does the story make you feel?
Response Options:
Angry
Sad
Good
Embarrassed
Disappointed
Frustrated
Afraid
Happy
Hopeful
Encouraged
Indifferent
Worried
Relieved
Unsure
Satisfied
14. For the woman or girl in the shared story the outcome was:
Response Options:
Entirely fair
Somewhat fair
Neutral somewhat
Unfair
Completely unfair
Not sure
Completed by the research assistant after the survey completion:
15. Story was about a peace baby
Response Options:
About a peace baby
Mentioned a peace baby
Neither
16. Story was about sexual relations:
Response Options:
About sexual relations
Mentioned sexual relations
Neither
17. The story was about sexual abuse:
Response Options:
About sexual abuse and exploitation
Mentioned sexual abuse and exploitation
Neither
18. Story was about a wrongdoing:
Response Options:
About another wrongdoing.
Mentioned another wrongdoing
Neither
The index is calculated by summing the counts for each of the 8 indicators: 1. Peacekeeper primary beneficiary, 2. Occurrence of transactional sex, 3. Identified as sex worker, 4. Unsupported pregnancy occurrence, 5. Non-consensual sexual act, 6. Non-consensual sexual exposure, 7. Peacekeeper primary initiator, and 8. Underage girl. Possible scores range from 0 (no exposure to sexual exploitation and abuse) to 8 (high exposure to sexual exploitation and abuse).
Gray, S., Stuart, H., Lee, S., & Bartels, S. A. (2021). Development of an index to measure the exposure level of UN peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation/abuse in women/girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Violence Against Women, 10778012211045713. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012211045713
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