Who Will Protect Civilians from Aid Workers and Peacekeepers

In recent weeks, UN peacekeeping soldiers, especially those in the Congo, have been scrutinized for their behavior in these volatile zones. It has been a difficult subject to broach because the work that peacekeepers do is appreciated and necessary, however, it is completely unfair and immoral to ignore the abuse of power by some soldiers. Their intent is to serve and protect citizens caught in the middle of violent conflicts that have left many of them homeless and without basic sustenance. Unfortunately some soldiers use this as a means to fulfill perverse desires and take advantage of innocent women and children.
Alarmingly, it doesnt end there. Now aid workers have also been implicated in participating in this inexplicable behavior. The most recent report released by Save the Children UK states that children as young as 6 have been forced to have sex with aid workers and peacekeepers in exchange for food and money.

In the report, "No One To Turn To" a 15-year-old girl from Haiti told researchers: "My friends and I were walking by the National Palace one evening when we encountered a couple of humanitarian men. The men called us over and showed us their penises.
"They offered us 100 Haitian gourdes ($2.80) and some chocolate if we would suck them. I said, 'No,' but some of the girls did it and got the money."

Peacekeeping violations do not only include sexual abuses, in Mogadishu, peacekeepers have been accused of selling arms to rebels.

So the question is, who will hold these groups responsible for their violations?

A few weeks ago, the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services launched an investigation into allegations of abuse by peacekeeping soldiers in the Congo, but the chance of anyone being persecuted for these crimes is very slim. Even a former investigator for the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services had to resign and blow the whistle on the illicit activity rampant in the Congo. Mathias Basanisi asserts that Pakistani peacekeeping officers were corroborating with rebels in the Congo, exchanging classified information and weapons for gold. However, his reports went ignored though there was evidence and witness testimonies.
Unfortunately in peacekeeping situations, the ends too often justify the means. Victims will rarely speak up against their perpetrators for fear that they will be left without protection and resources. However, international governing bodies and agencies have to be held accountable for their workers. Reports of sexual abuse cannot be ignored.
I remember when a well respected professor of mine insinuated that HIV/AIDS was spread to West Africa in the 90s after the deployment of peacekeeping forces in Liberia and Sierra Leone. This theory is proven even more real today. The mandate of the right to protect should not just focus on the initial perpetrators of violence, but should encapsulate every aspect of conflict and emergency situations, including actors providing resources for the most vulnerable groups.