Over the past 15 years, the United Nations (UN) has recorded more than 1,700 allegations of sexual abuse by its peacekeepers in conflict zones around the world — from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kosovo, and from East Timor to Haiti. In UN Sex Abuse Scandal, FRONTLINE investigates how and why the problem of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers has persisted despite the UN’s efforts to stamp it out – and why the UN has a record of only 53 uniformed peacekeepers and one international civilian peacekeeper being sent to prison for sexual offenses.

Gripping and eye-opening, the documentary explores the failures and constraints of the UN—which has the authority to fire people, but not prosecute them—and the role of member states in dealing with the problem.