What do we do when those we entrust with our greatest hopes betray that trust? If the betrayers are United Nations peacekeepers, the answer seem to be nothing at all. There is distressing new evidence, most of it reported here for the first time, that foreign soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo can sexually and violently violate young girls with impunity so long as they wear that iconic blue beret or blue helmet.
This is not, alas, a unique story. Documented cases of girls being victimized by UN forces – or, more precisely, the troops from the many countries who serve in UN missions – has a long and squalid history. The landmark 1996 UNICEF study The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children reported that “In 6 out of 12 country studies, the arrival of peacekeeping troops has been associated with a rapid rise in child prostitution.” A review eight years later concluded that prostitution and sexual abuse followed most UN interventions. “Even the guardians have to be guarded,” it concluded.
No doubt, as defenders of the UN insist, these are the actions of the few. Yet the persistence of these criminal acts and the almost total impunity for those who have committed them remains a scandal that tarnishes the UN’s already shaky reputation. Full story...
Related posts:
This is not, alas, a unique story. Documented cases of girls being victimized by UN forces – or, more precisely, the troops from the many countries who serve in UN missions – has a long and squalid history. The landmark 1996 UNICEF study The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children reported that “In 6 out of 12 country studies, the arrival of peacekeeping troops has been associated with a rapid rise in child prostitution.” A review eight years later concluded that prostitution and sexual abuse followed most UN interventions. “Even the guardians have to be guarded,” it concluded.
No doubt, as defenders of the UN insist, these are the actions of the few. Yet the persistence of these criminal acts and the almost total impunity for those who have committed them remains a scandal that tarnishes the UN’s already shaky reputation. Full story...
Related posts:
- UN soldiers raping 18-year-old boy in Haiti...
- 51 Indian soldiers accused of rape while peace-keeping in the Congo...
- Pakistan UN peacekeepers jailed for Haiti sex abuse...
- WTF! Aid workers abusing,raping children..
- Did Nepal's UN soldiers infect Haiti with cholera?
- Congo has become the world capital of rape, torture and mutilation...
- Haiti charity scam: relief money never got to the earthquake victims...
No comments:
Post a Comment