UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations must do more to ensure its peacekeepers follow new rules against sex abuse, said a new report by an independent refugee organization that found a "boys will be boys" culture still prevails in many military missions.

The report released Tuesday by Refugees International - Must Boys Be Boys? Ending Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in UN Peacekeeping Missions - said a "hyper-masculine culture" has evolved among peacekeepers who bond together and erect a "wall of silence" to shield themselves from outside criticism.

The UN instituted a policy of zero tolerance of sex abuse and zero contact this year following an investigation that found peacekeepers in Congo had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money.

"Until there is a better understanding of the zero-contact rule, peacekeepers will continue to think of it as a rule that makes no sense," said Sarah Martin, a Refugees International campaigner who wrote the report.

Even in countries where prostitution is illegal, solicitation by men in UN peacekeeping missions is considered commonplace and colleagues are reluctant to report sexual misconduct, the new report said.

Undersecretary general Jean-Marie Guehenno, the top UN peacekeeping official, acknowledged Wednesday troops need to undergo a "cultural shift" and the United Nations needs to reach a point where zero-tolerance is a reality.

Refugees International made a series of recommendations including hiring more male gender advisers for UN peacekeeping missions. This would "counterbalance the idea that gender issues can only be addressed by women," it said.

Following the revelations about abuse by peacekeepers in Congo, Jordan's UN Ambassador Prince Zeid al Hussein wrote a report in March that described the UN military arm as deeply flawed. He made recommendations, including withholding salaries of the guilty and requiring countries pursue legal action against perpetrators.

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