NewsUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] released a report [text, PDF] on Friday recommending increased measures to be taken for all countries involved in the rise of allegations against UN peacekeepers of sexual abuse and exploitation. The report documents a total of 99 allegations in 2015, 69 from countries with peacekeeping missions. The largest number of allegations, 22, came from the Central African Republic (CAR) followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Haiti. The report includes recommendations on the UN’s strategy to prevent these kinds of crimes. The measures include assistance to victims, stronger disciplinary measures, and enhanced transparency among others.
In December Ban made a pledge to review allegations [text, PDF] that found the UN had not responded properly to information regarding crimes by non-UN soldiers upon children in the CAR. In February the UN identified seven new possible victims [press release] of abuse in the nation. In January UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein [official profile] said his office is investigating allegations of sexual abuse [press release] against children in the CAR by EU forces [JURIST report].
