As part of its broader efforts to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse, the United Nations works in partnership with troop and police contributing countries to raise awareness about the problem among personnel before their deployment to a UN peacekeeping mission. Although Member States are responsible for their contingents’ pre-deployment training, our Missions' Conduct and Discipline teams also help to train contingents before they are deployed to the field.

This was the case in Bloemfontein, South Africa, where the UN trained 820 members of the South African Defence Force in June this year on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse ahead of their deployment to the United Nations Mission in the DR Congo - Monusco.

"As per standard practice, we train peacekeepers when they arrive at the Mission and we verify that their country has briefed them on the issue during their pre-deployment training. However, South Africa requested our assistance in delivering this special training to address the challenges that sexual exploitation and abuse poses to their troops' work within the Mission," said Andrew Awuah, MONUSCO's Conduct and Discipline officer.

All ranks of the South African contingent to be deployed took part in the training, including top officials who were specifically reminded of their critical role in maintaining discipline among their troops.