Ethics Newsline®

UNITED NATIONS
Conceding that refugees have been sexually abused by the peacekeepers sent to protect them, the United Nations last week called for stronger action from nations typically slack in prosecuting such abuse.

The United Nations said refugee abuse has been reported at peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, Cambodia, Congo, East Timor, Kosovo, and West Africa, reported the Associated Press. In many cases, refugee women and girls are forced to have sex with UN peacekeepers in exchange for food or money.

A UN report released last week concluded that the United Nations often lacks legal powers to prosecute abusers and that nations supplying the peacekeepers often decline to pursue charges when staff return home.

The report calls on nations to more diligently prosecute cases of alleged abuse, warning that without such backbone, the system will continue to break down, putting refugees at greater risk, according to the AP.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan released a statement urging member states “to act with determination and due haste.”

“Resolving the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeeping personnel is a shared responsibility and can only succeed with firm commitment and action by both the Secretariat and Member States,” Annan said. “We are committed to implement the necessary reforms as quickly as possible.”

In other news, critics of the UN last week questioned its decision to use revenues from the Oil for Food program to pay legal fees for the program’s former head, Benon Sevan, who stands accused of corruption involving the $64 billion humanitarian operation.

UN spokesman Fred Eckhard last week defended the legal support, but noted that it ended when independent investigators accused Sevan of specific charges in early February, reported the Associated Press.