There have been series of alleged abuse of girls by UN troops in Central African Republic (CAR). According to a recent report by Code Blue, local leaders and victims in the CAR reported that troops from France and Gabon have sexually abused several girls in their province. This information was reportedly disclosed during a meeting with the UN’s deputy special representative of the secretary-general and a delegation from MINUSCA, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in the CAR.
The campaign further revealed that four young girls were tied up and undressed inside a camp by a military commander from the Sangaris force which is the French military intervention in the CAR and forced to have sex with a dog for 5,000 Central African Francs (US$9) each and one of the girls later died of an unknown disease.
Apart from the reported abuse taking place in the CAR, it has also been alleged that UN peacekeepers have committed similar crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
One of the DRC crimes reported by Code Blue includes a 16-year-old girl who was purportedly raped in a hotel room by a UN peacekeeper. When police questioned the accused soldier in the presence of a UN military commander, he confirmed that he had sexual intercourse with the girl several times, and paid her between 2,000 ($3.45) and 3,000 ($5.18) Central African Francs.
Recent reports of the abuse of young girls by UN peacekeepers prompted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s chief of staff, Edmond Mulet, to call an urgent crisis meeting in late March, according to Code Blue.
