United Nations – UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon, has proposed that any Member State that failed to investigate alleged sexual abuse levelled against peacekeepers would no longer be deployed to work under the UN flag.
Addressing reporters on Friday in New York, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Atul Khare, said perpetrators would be repatriated commanders would be at risk of being sent home “for not being strong enough in their command and control.”
He said the UN Secretary-General remained fully conscious that a single substantiated case of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse involving UN personnel was one case too many.
He added that “instances of sexual abuse, such as those involving sexual activities with minors or coerced sexual relations, are particularly egregious.
“The implementation of the Secretary-General’s zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN and related personnel remains a priority.”
Khare said that a very strong vetting mechanism had already been established by which the UN could verify the criminal past of prospective peacekeepers.
He said that an online database featuring all the information about the cases was going to be available at the Conduct and Discipline website and would contain details outlining the nature of the allegations, the number of victims per allegation and the number of perpetrators per allegation.
Khare also said it would identify the countries from which such perpetrators came from and provide update on actions taken, either by the UN or by the countries concerned, as regards investigation into these cases.
“This will include whether investigations have been completed, what disciplinary measures were taken and what criminal jurisdiction measures were undertaken by the countries to provide adequate, appropriate and exemplary punishment,” he said.
Disciplinary measures, he said, had been strengthened, he added, with 99 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse uncovered by the UN in 2015, 69 of these were in countries where peacekeeping operations were deployed.
Presenting the Secretary-General’s latest report on special measures to protect people from these crimes, he said Ban has pledged to urgently review recommendations made by an independent panel.
He said the panel found that the UN did not act with the “speed, care or sensitivity required,” when it uncovered information about crimes committed against children by soldiers, not under UN command sent to the Central African Republic (CAR) to protect civilians.
Meanwhile, he said, new allegations of sexual abuse have continued to emerge against UN peacekeepers in the country, with the UN Mission there, recently reporting seven new possible victims in the town of Bambari.
“It is greatly distressing when protectors, in rare instances, turn predators,” he said.
Khare said that the UN and its partners must adopt a victim-centred approach, with urgent psychosocial and medical assistance provided to them, particularly when the victims are very young children.
“In this regard, the Secretary-General is proposing the creation of a trust fund.
“It would be funded voluntarily, but also from the salaries withheld from those who face significant allegations which have been substantiated,” he said.
He said that 50,000 dollars has been withheld so far.
Other proposals, he said, include, strengthening of the UN’s entire system of response and coordination, creating “safe spaces” for victims to lodge complaints against peacekeepers.
He said that a second set of recommendations deals with measures to enhance the UN’s transparency.
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“The presence of UN-led immediate response teams will also be strengthened, so that as soon as a complaint is received, evidence can be quickly collected and preserved for national investigators.
“As the UN does not have criminal jurisdiction, these investigators are expected to be appointed by the perpetrator’s country within a 10-day time limit of the alleged crime, and to have completed their investigations within six months.
“In cases where a particularly egregious offense has taken place, say for the rape of a child, then we will request that this period be shortened by half, appointing an investigator within five days, and completing the investigation within three months,” he added.
The Under-Secretary said that he does believe that a greater participation of female peacekeepers would help, not only in the fight against abuse, but also to improve the overall quality of peacekeeping and the way in which the UN achieves its mandates worldwide.(NAN)
