Child sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers
Sexual abuse of female minors by personnel in United Nations peacekeeping forces has seriously undermined the credibility of "peacekeeping" missions because personnel are consequently perceived as doing more harm than good.
Rapid increase in prostitution
Reporters witnessed a rapid increase in prostitution in Cambodia, Mozambique, Bosnia, and Kosovo after UN and, in the case of the latter two, NATO peacekeeping forces moved in.[1][2]
1996 UN study
In the 1996 UN study The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, former first lady of Mozambique Graça Machel documented: "In 6 out of 12 country studies on sexual exploitation of children in situations of armed conflict prepared for the present report, the arrival of peacekeeping troops has been associated with a rapid rise in child prostitution."[3]
Eight years later, Gita Sahgal spoke out with regard to the fact that prostitution and sex abuse crops up wherever humanitarian intervention efforts are set up. She observed: "The issue with the UN is that peacekeeping operations unfortunately seem to be doing the same thing that other militaries do. Even the guardians have to be guarded."[4]
Involvement in brothels
There was one highly publicised case where members of the UN peacekeeping force were accused of direct involvement in the procurement of sex slaves for a local brothel in Bosnia.[5] The use of agents for procurement and management of brothels has allowed the military to believe itself shielded from the issue of sexual slavery and human trafficking. Some NATO troops and private contractors of the firm DynCorp have been linked to prostitution and forced prostitution in Bosnia and Kosovo, as have some UN employees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where they were accused of the sexual abuse of girls.[6][7]
Actions of a few
Proponents of peacekeeping argue that the actions of a few should not incriminate the many participants in the mission, yet NATO and the UN have come under criticism for not taking the issue of forced prostitution linked to peacekeeping missions seriously enough.[8][9]
Troops in Haiti, Sudan and Central African Republic
Most recently, UN troops in Haiti and Sudan have been accused of sexual abuse of children.[10][11] In 2015, a UN report interviewed over 200 Haitian women—a third of whom were minors—who told they were forced to have sex with UN soldiers in exchange of material aid.[12] In Central African Republic at least 98 girls said they had been sexually abused by international peacekeepers.[13]
References
- ↑ Ian Traynor (7 May 2004). "Nato force 'feeds Kosovo sex trade'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ "Document - Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro): "So does it mean that we have the rights?" Protecting the human rights of women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution in Kosovo". Amnesty.org. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children
- ↑ Sex charges haunt UN forces; In places like Congo and Kosovo, peacekeepers have been accused of abusing the people they're protecting," Christian Science Monitor, 26 November 2004, accessed 16 February 2010
- ↑ Vulliamy, Ed (15 January 2012). "Has the UN learned lessons of Bosnian sex slavery revealed in Rachel Weisz film?". The Observer. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ↑ Price, Susannah (8 January 2005). "DR Congo sex abuse claims upheld". BBC News. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ "The U.N. Sex Scandal". The Weekly Standard. 3 January 2005. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ Ian Traynor. "Nato force 'feeds Kosovo sex trade'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ "Bosnia: Sex Slave Recounts Her Ordeal". Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ "Fears over Haiti child 'abuse'". BBC News. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ "News". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
- ↑ Yigal Palmornews (10 June 2015), UN peacekeepers sexually abused hundreds of Haitian women & girls – report, RT (TV network)
- ↑ French Peacekeepers Allegedly Tied Up Girls and Forced Them Into Bestiality VICE News, 2016
