Ms Olivera Simic

Ms Olivera Simic
(University of Melbourne)

Peacekeepers or Lawbreakers? Accountability of UN Peacekeepers for Involvement in Trafficking in Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina’

Abstract:

The international crime of trafficking in women for forced prostitution in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter BiH) has been recognised as such since 1995. However, the first night-clubs with women ‘dancers’ from Eastern Europe were opened in the early 1990s. At that time, it was not clear whether women were trafficked or had arrived on their own to work voluntarily in prostitution. The trade in so called ‘sex slaves’ was relatively unknown in the region until the mid-1990s. The sex industry was further fuelled by the arrival of tens of thousands of predominantly male UN personnel, after the Peace Agreement was signed in 1995.

BiH has become one of the main destination countries for women mainly from Moldova, Ukraine and Romania. According to information provided by non-governmental organizations (hereafter NGOs) which specifically deal with the problem of trafficking in BiH, there were more than 900 brothels spread throughout the country just a few years ago. Although scandalised with involvement of peacekeepers in trafficking in women and wide sexual abuse, the UN Mission in BiH (UNIMBH) is still deemed in overwhelmingly positive terms as basically successful. After the mission was over, peacekeepers changed locations and countries, following a war torn society in need of peace. Still, the crimes perpetuated by peacekeepers against those in need, particularly women and children, are still ongoing. Indeed, evidence suggests that they have exacerbated.

In this paper I will explore what has been done so far within the UN system to address the alarming and growing problem of sexual abuse of women and exploitation of children by peacekeepers while on their missions. I will evaluate whether there have been any improvements since 1995, when the UNMIBH came into BiH and allegations on their involvement in sexual abuse and trafficking in women began to surface. How did UNMIBH respond to these allegations? What mechanisms for protection and prosecution were in effect at the time, and what mechanisms are now in place, if any? Have other missions learnt a lesson from UNMIBH? Or is the attitude still one of ‘Boys will be Boys’, no matter what steps are taken to prevent such occurrences.

Biographical note:

Olivera Simic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, LLM and MA, holds LLM degree in International Human Rights Law (Essex University, UK, 2003) and MA in Gender and Peacebuilding (UN University for Peace, Costa Rica, 2005). For more than a decade she has been working as Gender and Law Consultant for different agencies (UNICEF, OSCE, ICMPD etc). Also, she has been actively engaged with projects related to women's and children's human rights in different capacities (activist, researcher, trainer, tutor).
Her fields of interests are gender, sexual abuse, organized crime, militarism, war, peacekeeping, reconciliation. Currently she is at Law School, University of Melbourne, working on her PhD thesis entitled "Gender based violence and human rights violations committed by UN peacekeepers".

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