Source: ROBERTO SCHMIDT / Getty
Even some United Nations “peacekeepers” can’t be trusted, wtf! According to The Associated Press, sexual exploitation goes extremely underreported by peacekeepers on missions. A report obtained by The Associated Press states that members of a U.N peacekeeping mission engaged in exploitative sex with more than 225 Haitian women. The women, who were interviewed, claimed they were told they needed to have sex with peacekeepers in order to procure things like food, and medication. Those testimonies are a sign that sexual exploitation among peacekeepers goes underreported.
The draft of the report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services looks at the way U.N. peacekeeping deals with the persistent problem of sexual abuse and exploitation. The report, expected to be released this month, states that massive challenges remain a decade after a landmark U.N. report first tackled the issue.
Among its findings are that about a third of alleged sexual abuse involves victims under 18 years old. Victim assistance is lacking, and the average investigation can take more than a year.
Read the full report over at AP, but it gets even more convoluted. It’s not all peacekeepers engaging in this behavior, but it’s enough. It seems like the U.N. takes this problem seriously, so hopefully there will be swift action in ending this problem for good.
