BREAKING NEWS

US pushing for repatriation of UN peacekeepers over sex abuse

By REUTERS

MARCH 5, 2016 04:48

UNITED NATIONS- The United States on Friday announced it was pushing the UN Security Council to call for repatriation of peacekeepers if there is a pattern of sexual crimes by troops of a certain nationality or if a country fails to investigate accusations.

The United Nations reported 99 allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse against UN staff members across the UN system last year, a sharp increase from the 80 allegations in 2014. The majority - 69 in all - involved personnel in 10 peacekeeping missions.

"The United States has tabled a draft resolution to add the Security Council's weight to the United Nations response to this horrific, recurrent problem in peacekeeping missions, including by supporting the Secretary-General's decision to repatriate units that demonstrate a pattern" of sexual exploitation and abuse, US Ambassador Samantha Power said in a statement.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Council toward swift adoption," she said, adding that "the steps the United Nations and its member states have so far taken to address this scourge are demonstrably, and woefully, inadequate."

Power noted that most of the allegations involved are of the most serious nature: rape and sex with minors. She said more than 70 percent of investigations of sex crime allegations are listed as "pending."

Most recently there have been dozens of abuse accusations against international troops in Central African Republic (CAR). The United Nations pledged to crack down on allegations of abuse to avoid a repeat of past mistakes.

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