UN doing "everything we possibly can" for child sex abuse victims in CAR


A senior UN official announced ten new sexual-abuse allegations against peacekeeping troops serving in the Central African Republic (CAR) on Friday.

In an emotional press conference at UN headquarters, the Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support identified the countries that the alleged abusers came from, and vowed that the UN was doing everything possible to help the alleged victims.

Anthony Banbury's announcement of fresh allegations against blue helmets serving in CAR during 2014 and last year, came just hours after the High Commissioner for Human Rights had listed new allegations against foreign military personnel.

They are the latest in a series of abuse allegations that have bedevilled the UN mission in CAR, MINUSCA.

Mr Banbury identified two Bangladeshis serving in November last year, who allegedly paid a minor in exchange for sex.

A peacekeeper from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and another from Morocco, also face allegations of abuse, together with four blue helmets from Niger.

The final case he mentioned involves two Senegalese members of the UN police contingent in CAR, accused of having sex with a minor at the end of last year.

There were a total of six identified victims involved in the five incidents, he added.
Mr Banbury broke down, as he explained the reaction to yet more allegations, at UN Headquarters.

"It’s hard to imagine the outrage that people working for the United Nations, and for the causes of peace and security, feel when these kinds of allegations come to light. Particularly involving minors, which it's so hard to understand."

He went on to say that helping the victims was the first priority.

"The United Nations is doing everything we possibly can to assist the victims, to bring accountability and justice for them, and hopefully prevent these cases, or any such cases, from recurring."

Important changes were well underway he said in how the UN could prevent abuse, including an expanded vetting system for every peacekeeper going into the field, and a requirement for Member States to vouch for them.

Mr Banbury added that abuse response teams in priority missions were now mandatory, and he stressed that the UN did not have the power itself, to prosecute.

He said there was likely to be a total of 69 abuse cases involving blue helmets for last year, 22 from MINUSCA alone. 2014 saw 51 cases.

Failure on the part of any UN staff member to report allegations of abuse was a "moral crime," he added.


SOURCE: Matthew Wells, United Nations.