UN staff in Congo face child sex claims

[seemslikeadream]

17/05/2004
UN staff in Congo face child sex claims
The Financial Times

One of the United Nations' toughest missions in Africa is facing allegations that peacekeeping troops as well as civilian UN personnel have been involved in the systematic sexual abuse of minors.

The future of UN peacekeeping operations was being discussed at a special meeting of the Security Council today. One of the UN's hitherto most successful missions in Africa - policing the border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea - is already undermined by similar allegations of sexual abuse, including claims that UN soldiers were involved in paedophilia and pornography.

UN officials in Congo said the claims of sexual abuse surfaced in January and involved members of a Uruguayan peacekeeping contingent who were allegedly exploiting under-age girls at an internally displaced camp in Bunia, the provincial capital of the troubled province of Ituri. One of the girls involved had been raped repeatedly in the past by Congolese militia members.

Preliminary UN investigations showed that the abuse might have been much more widespread than initial claims involving Uruguayan, Nepalese and Moroccan peacekeepers and possibly others including civilian UN personnel.

Girls involved were between 12 and 15 years old.

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