UN peacekeepers trade sex for goods: Report
UN peacekeepers routinely trade sex for money, jewellery, cellphones in countries where they are deployed in clear violation of UN rules, according to a draft UN report.
A third of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel involve a minor under 18, according to the report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) obtained by AFP yesterday.
Interviews done with victims in Haiti and Liberia suggest that US is underreporting cases of sexual abuse and exploitation by its peacekeeping personnel.
In Haiti, 231 people admitted to having "transactional sexual relationships" with peacekeeping personnel in exchange for "jewellery, 'church' shoes, dresses, fancy underwear, perfume, cell phones, radios, televisions and, in a few cases, laptops." Women interviewed in the report said they were hungry, homeless or needed items for their babies or their households.
A survey of 489 women in Monrovia showed that over a quarter of the city's women had engaged in sex with UN peacekeepers, usually for money.
There were 480 allegations of sexual abuse from 2008 and 2013 with the largest missions registering high numbers of cases, in DR Congo, Liberia, Haiti, Sudan and South Sudan.
The final report to be released on Monday. The UN has 125,000 peacekeepers deployed in 16 missions worldwide.
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