Wolves in Peacekeeping Pack
By Leela Ramdeen
17.1.2005
One of the greatest challenges of any peacekeeping mission is to earn the trust of
that victimised population. I am sure that the vast majority of peacekeepers do
their job in good faith. However, charges of sex abuse and other crimes have been
lodged against U.N. peacekeeping missions around the world for decades. This has
become a disturbing feature of UN missions.
On Friday 7th January, 2005, a UN watchdog office said that UN peacekeepers in Congo
sexually exploited women and girls, some as young as 13 years old. One child
received 2 eggs for sex. William Lacy Swing, the United Nations' special
representative to Congo, said at a news conference:
""We have had and continue to have a serious problem of sexual exploitation and
abuse. We are shocked by it, we are outraged, we are sickened by it. Peacekeepers
who have been sworn to assist those in need, particularly those who have been
victims of sexual violence, instead have caused grievous harm."
Investigators from the world body's Office of Internal Oversight Services found that
Peacekeepers regularly had sex with Congolese women and girls, usually in exchange
for food or small sums of money. The report also said some military officers tried
to block the investigators' work; the misconduct was "serious and ongoing"; many of
the alleged acts were committed with "a feeling of impunity," and investigators
found it "disturbing" that there was no program in place to deter misconduct or
protect civilians from abuses.
Some 47 countries supply troops to the peacekeeping mission in the Congo, MONUC,
currently the largest UN peacekeeping mission, with 10,000 soldiers. That number
will rise to 16,000 in February 2005. This vast Central African country is slowly
emerging from a five-year war that claimed at least 2.5 million lives between 1998
and 2003.
Imagine the scene in countries such as Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Congo and East Timor
where UN peacekeepers from dozens of contributing nations fly in after war/conflict
with the stated intention of assisting in building peace and security. They arrive
in the aftermath of wars in which there are usually very high levels of sexual
abuse. Rape is often used as a tool of war. Women and girls are often deliberately
targeted in strategies that include "ethnic cleansing" and systematic rape.
Many of these women and girls are still dazed by the trauma they have experienced
and turn to UN Peacekeepers to assist them. Soon the horror begins once more when
they realize that some of these 'knights in shining armour' are really wolves who
seem to be devoid of consciences and who further abuse them.
On 31 October 2000 there was a unanimous adoption by the UN of Security Council
Resolution 1325 (2000). It was the first resolution on women, peace and security.
Inter alia, it called for the prosecution of crimes against women; increased
protection of women and girls during war and so on. Of major concern in the open
Security Council debate then was the role of peacekeeping militaries. It resulted in
strong endorsement for training initiatives for peacekeepers.
In recent years, U.N. officials have tried to address the problem by increasing
training for troops and putting more emphasis on codes of conduct that ban sex with
females younger than 18, but they admit the rules are not working. We need a
multi-faceted approach to address this issue.
Jean-Marie Guehenno, U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping operations
suggests that "Rules and regulations should be tightened". The watchdog office
recommended that the home countries of the peacekeepers involved should take
appropriate action. Peacekeepers fall under the jurisdiction of military authorities
in their own countries.
Guehenno suggests that courts martial should take place in countries where crimes
are committed. He said misconduct by peacekeepers undermines the credibility of the
United Nations. "When we betray the trust they place on us it is unconscionable,"
he said. "It is a big stain on us."
Where are the leaders/managers of these teams when such untrammelled sexual
exploitation takes place? UN personnel throughout the chain of command must enforce
and monitor clear, precise standards of behaviour and take prompt action if there is
a breach of the pre-established Blue Helmet Code of Conduct.
No "Gender and Peacekeeping" training programme on its own is sufficient. In the
absence of effective/strong leadership, and a clear commitment by countries involved
in peacekeeping missions to deal with perpetrators, the environment will always be
ripe for serious offences to be committed and to go unpunished.
Many women's groups believe that too often the 'boys will be boys' or 'men have
needs' attitude that is rampant in many of our societies can lead to some male
managers either turning a blind eye; giving tacit approval to such behaviour;
ignoring or concealing it. Thus many of these atrocities go unpunished. Women have
needs also - they need JUSTICE!
The foundation of all the principles of the social teachings of the Catholic Church
is the fundamental and inherent dignity of the human person. In a world that is fast
discarding such basic values, the violation of such human rights by some UN
Peacekeepers is totally unacceptable.
The escalating scandal of the abominable sexual practices of some peacekeepers is
cause for grave concern. History will show that few UN peacekeeping missions have
had an unsullied record. For example, Mozambique and Bosnia both acquired a
reputation for peacekeeper-organised prostitution rackets. In Bosnia and Kosovo,
some NATO and UN peacekeeping personnel were reported to be important clients for
the pimps and traders that make profit from "trafficking" women into sexual
servitude.
Groups such as the Cambodian Women's Development Association deplored the fact that
during the UNTAC mission (1992-1993), sex houses and Thai-style massage parlours
proliferated. And as HIV/AIDS infection rates grew, there was a demand for "clean
young girls". This led to a rise in child prostitution.
Rogue UN peacekeepers/'planetary police' are not beyond accountability but we need
mechanisms to check their abuse. Inter alia, there a need for more effective and
efficient management of UN Peacekeeping forces and for swift action to be taken to
address sexual exploitation - both by the UN and by their countries of origin. The
International Criminal Court of Justice will also have a role to play in dealing
with such crimes.
The world's citizens must work together to build right relationships - a new culture
in which values such as love, respect, decency, honesty, integrity, compassion, responsibility and so on will be inculcated in peoples around the world.
With the spread of secularization, individualism etc. the task will be more
challenging but we must never give up hope. Hope will keep us focused to overcome
evil with good. Let us pray that Pope John XX111’s 4 pillars of peace: justice,
truth, love and freedom will reign in our world.