Posted on 01/08/2005 8:17:34 AM PST by crushelits
UN peacekeepers in Congo sexually abused and exploited women and girls, some as young as 13, according to a report released by a UN watchdog today.
Sexual contact between peacekeepers and Congolese women and girls occurred regularly, usually in exchange for food or small sums of money, an investigation by the Office of Internal Oversight Services found.
The problems were serious and ongoing and it was disturbing that there was no deterrence or protection programme, the report said by the UN oversight agency said.
Sexual activities continued even while the investigation was going on, the OIOS found, noting that freshly used condoms were left near military camps and guard posts.
It was clear that the investigation did not act as a deterrent for some of the troops, perhaps because they had not been made aware of the severe penalties for engaging in such conduct, nor had they seen any evidence of a negative impact on individual peacekeepers for such behaviour, the report said.
The investigators said military commanders from some contingents had tried to block their work.
On several occasions, the commanders of these contingents either failed to provide the requested information or assistance or actively interfered with the investigation, the report said.
The team investigated 72 allegations against both military and civilian UN personnel, which resulted in 20 case reports. One case involved a UN civilian; the others, peacekeepers.
In six cases, the allegations against the peacekeepers were fully substantiated, and underage girls were involved in all of them, the report said, adding that none of the peacekeepers admitted to the allegations.
It recommended that the countries that sent the peacekeepers should take appropriate action.
In other cases the evidence was either convincing, but not fully substantiated or could not be corroborated, according to the report.
The investigators said there were several reasons why identification was difficult. Sometimes there had only been one encounter, or the victims had met the perpetrators in the dark, or they were unable to distinguish one non-Congolese from another, or the events had taken place too long ago.
However, dozens of interviews with the girls themselves and with the young Congolese men who facilitated the encounters, as well as with aid workers, revealed a pattern of sexual exploitation by peacekeepers, the report said.
Many girls in Bunia had been raped or sexually abused by local warring factions. Left without family or means of support, the presence of the peacekeepers augmented the problem according to the report.
In one case, a 14 year-old girl was given about 1.50 and two eggs in return for sex. She was able to identify the soldier because he had a broken arm. She had sex with another soldier in return for 2.20 and a packet of milk.
Another 14 year-old girl was given 1.50, chocolate and bread in return for sex. A 13-year-old girl said she and her friends would go to the camp to have sex with different soldiers for between 2.20 and 3.50 for each sexual encounter
but but U.S. soldiers put panties on Arabs heads!!
I don't know what is worse, the fact that it happened or that I am not surprised.
And this is the outfit that W has agreed to coordinate all of the tsunami relief efforts.
It seems like the same thing happened in the Congo Civil War in the early 60s if I recall.
Just one of the perks that go along with the job. If you can't abuse the local girls, what's the point of becoming an invading army?
I posted a comment that if this was a US army story, the UN/world community/MSM and the DNC would be yelling for W's head and the execution of the soldiers involved.
Where's the outrage?
I posted a comment that if this was a US army story, the UN/world community/MSM and the DNC would be yelling for W's head and the execution of the soldiers involved.
Where's the outrage?
Maybe it is just that Bush does not believe that those that care so deeply as UN workers, would do such a thing. Or he knows, and doesn't care. It is hard to believe that someone with as many ears to the ground as the President, doesn't know things we do.
oops, sorry, the page didn't reload.
Yes it did and my uncle can vouch for it personally. Villagers hid him under the floorboards of a church while women and children were raped right above him.
Don't blame W you nitwit.
Or the fact that the American press seems to turn a blind eye to such things.
Where is the feminazi outrage?
And again it was UN "peacekeepers" with the USA picking up the tab.
Bush did the right thing. aka "Mr. Kofi, you're not going to get a piece of us. We'll do it our way".
I don't see UN jackets or trucks in these countries. I see USA and allied troops and planes.
When my uncle was there, he was in the office of village priest. They were killing anyone that was Belgian, anyone coloured and any black person caught helping the aforementioned groups. I don't recall him mentioning Americans though. I would ask but he doesn't talk about it anymore. I wouldn't doubt for a minute there weren't christian missionaries from America there though but I don't know about government involvement.
The UN was rotten from the start with their involvement in Africa. There's a lot I can say but I started out with a good moood and want to end on a good foot :-)
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