The blue beret, or the blue helmet, symbolizes not only peace, but protection and security for many who have spent their lives riddled by armed conflict. Children see these foreigners in blue hats, and they immediately trust them, they want to befriend them. Unfortunately these men are not always what they seem, many have used the trust and power that the blue beret brings with it, to abuse extremely vulnerable woman and children.
Sexual abuse, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, rape…these are not words one expects to hear when describing the actions of peacekeepers. However this is an unfortunate reality in many countries, and Liberia is just the most recent country with UN peacekeepers in the spotlight over abuse allegations. In Liberia sex-for-aid is ‘widespread’, and girls as young as 8 are being coursed into having sex in exchange for much needed food. Other countries with abuse allegations included, but are not limited to; Bosnia, Haiti, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Kosovo, Morocco, the Congo and Sierra Leone. The issue of peacekeepers in Bosnia was extremely grave, as peacekeepers where heavily involved in sex trafficking and enslavement of countless girls. Peacekeepers where ensured a safe passage in the the numerous brothels that has sprouted up, as brothel security was often peacekeepers themselves.
Imagine you are a child who's whole family has been murdered before your eyes, your home burned, and you have only escaped as they thought you too where dead. You have now walked for three days with little food or water…you see the camp ahead of you as salvation, the men who guard it as saviors, but your dreams of safety are quickly shattered as you are raped behind that fence of safety. While this narrative is fictionalized, the hideous acts illustrated are not, and the abuses of children are a far cry from truly heard.
Cases of abuse are as varied as they unspeakable, one of the most shocking was in 1997 when Belgian UN troops admitted to ‘roasting’ Somali boy. Other U.N. peacekeeping atrocities have included; an Italian peacekeeper sexually abused and strangled to death a young boy, and the discovery of human trafficking rings.
There has been a lot of public uproar over the delay in reporting such issues of Sexual abuse of children by UN Peacekeepers, including that of the abuses in Sudan which appeared to take at least six months to report. However the biggest concern is cases where the has stated that they cases of abuse have been unsubstantiated and that the UN rejects refugee sex abuse allegations. Regardless of the fact that many of these issues have now been restated, bares little cause for hope that justice is truly being served. It leaves many to questioning if there are countless other ghastly abuses by UN Peacekeepers, that have been kept under wraps?
In the 1996 UN study,The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children, highlighted all aspects of war, and the effects which it has on children. In the study Graça Machel, former first Lady of Mozambique, stated:
“In 6 out of 12 country studies on sexual exploitation of children in situations of armed conflict prepared for the present report, the arrival of peacekeeping troops has been associated with a rapid rise in child prostitution.”
Earlier this year, in January, the UN sent a new group of peacekeepers to Liberia, to add to their current 15,000 peacekeeping troops. However the newest group of peacekeepers was somewhat different, they are all women, comprised of just over 100 Indian policewomen. This is the first attempt of the UN to send an all female peace keeping force, and many hope it will help the already vulnerable groups, including women and children. The anticipated outcome of placing the female peacekeepers, the UN hopes to see that woman and children feel even more secure and comfortable, while continuing to protect their rights.
Trading money or food for sex with young girls, is no less a crime for a peacekeeper, as rape, pedophilia, child-pornography, child sex trafficking, physically or mental abuse. The abusive nature of many peacekeepers is hindering the already strained role of the UN in countries around the world. In October 2005, for the 60th anniversary of the UN, the New York Times editorial heavily condemned the UN for the continuing abuse by peacekeepers:
“Nothing discredits the United Nations more than the continuing sexual abuse of women and girls by soldiers belonging to its international peacekeeping missions. And yet almost a year after shocking disclosures about such crimes in Congo, far too little has been done to end the culture of impunity, exploitation and sexual chauvinism that permits them to go on.” (New York Times)
The UN and the entire international community must ensure that when the men and woman in the blue berets show up to protect our children from predators, that they do just that. For if one cannot trust those sent to protect them, to look after the children , then who can one trust. Children who have gown-up and spent their entire lives in the middle of armed conflict, have little trust and security to begin with, we cannot standby and allow them to be continually abused and re-violated. UN Peacekeepers who engage in, or are suspected of such activities, should immediately be removed from the country in question, their actions investigated and their crimes punished, including a permanent ban on all associated activities with the UN, or any other peacekeeping, security or police forces.
However one must note that children who have been repeatedly victimized, especially by figures of authority, often do not report their abuse, or abusers. Those in power have an obligation to see that all children must feel safe and protected, it is their inherent right as a child. If children cannot trust someone sent to bring peace and order to their disrupted lives, then who can they see as trustworthy? One must hope that the acknowledgment and punishment of those who have committed such grave crimes against vulnerable children, continues. In addition that the UN and International communities continues to take strides to see that the most vulnerable victims of armed conflict feel even safer and securer than before. The deployment of the first all female peacekeeping force is one start in the right direction, but lets keep in mind that this is not just a problem for the UN, but all national military forces, and we must see that all predators are prosecuted, regardless of affiliation.
Links:
PEACEKEEPING WATCH: Monitoring Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN Peacekeepers and the Efforts of the International Community to Respond
CDI – Children and Armed Conflict Resources
The Impact of Armed Conflict on Children
United States Outraged at Abuses by U.N. Peacekeepers in Africa
Must Boys Be Boys? Sexual Exploitation in UN Missions
“We’ll kill you if you cry”
