‘At the end of their relationship, that man offered her a house’: Qualitatively exploring Congolese women’s agency in navigating sexual relations with UN peacekeepers within the context of a patriarchal setting in eastern DRC
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Authors
Petz, Jessica F.
Nguya, Gloria
Baguma Nguba, Martin
Goebel, Allison
Lee, Sabine
Bartels, Susan A.
Date
2023-12-29
Type
journal article
Language
en
Keyword
Alternative Title
Abstract
The UN’s Zero Tolerance Policy, which bans all relationships between UN staff and locals, portrays all relationships as exploitative, fails to account for nuances in these relationships and does not acknowledge the agency of local women or communities. This study uses community-based qualitative data from eastern DRC that shares narratives on a wide variety of consensual relationships between peacekeepers and local women. Our paper uses a data-driven approach, including a post-colonial feminist lens, and ideas of structural agency to provide an expanded definition of agency that invites readers to re-examine their views of women in conflict settings. Finally, we provide clear recommendations for the UN and other international non-governmental agencies on policies related to sexual exploitation and abuse.
Description
The Version of Record of this manuscript has been published and is freely available in Global Public Health, December 29, 2023, http://tandfonline.com; https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2291698
Citation
Petz, J. F., Nguya, G., Baguma Nguba, M., Goebel, A., Lee, S., & Bartels, S. A. (2023). ‘At the end of their relationship, that man offered her a house’: Qualitatively exploring Congolese women’s agency in navigating sexual relations with UN peacekeepers within the context of a patriarchal setting in eastern DRC. Global Public Health, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2291698
Publisher
Taylor & Francis