UNITED NATIONS — U.N. soldiers and international aid workers from 23 organizations have engaged in sexual exploitation of children, including some as young as 6, in Haiti, Ivory Coast and south Sudan, according to a report by Save the Children, a British-based aid agency.
The organization said its findings conclude that sexual abuse of children — often involving exchanges of food for sex — probably occurs in virtually every post-conflict zone, and it called for creation of a global watchdog organization to probe such abuse.
“Our research suggests that significant levels of abuse of boys and girls continue in emergencies, with much of it going unreported,” said the report. “The victims include orphans, children separated from their parents and families, and children in families dependent on humanitarian assistance.”
The report, based on interviews with 250 children ages of 10 to 17, concluded that it is impossible to know the extent of the problem, since few victims report abuse and few U.N. agencies or private charities compile data on abuse by their personnel. Save the Children acknowledged receiving eight allegations of sexual misconduct involving minors last year by its own field staff, including three that were proven to have merit and led to the perpetrators’ dismissal.
“Who would we tell?” said one Haitian boy, explaining why victims of sexual abuse seldom report the crime. “We wouldn’t tell the police because they are afraid of the (U.N.) peacekeepers. … Anyway, I’ve heard that the police do this.”
U.N. soldiers have been “identified as a particular source of abuse,” especially in Haiti and Ivory Coast, according to the report. But it praised the U.N. peacekeeping department for exhibiting “managerial courage and transparency” in making the allegations public.
Reports of sexual abuse plagued U.N. missions over the past eight years in Bosnia, Congo, Liberia and several other countries.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the United Nations will investigate the report’s allegations and will take “necessary measures” where appropriate.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
