News: Aid Shame

A report called “No One to Turn To,” released by U.K. charity Save the Children, highlights the sexual abuse by humanitarian aid workers and UN peacekeepers in impoverished, war-torn countries.

The report is based on 38 focus group discussions with a total of 341 people living in chronic emergencies in Ivory Coast, Southern Sudan and Haiti, and meetings with 30 humanitarian, peace and security professionals.

The interviews revealed instances of rape, child prostitution, pornography, indecent sexual assault and trafficking of children for sex.

Allegations and investigations into UN peacekeepers’ sexual abuse of international children and teenagers have been circulating for more than a decade, beginning with U.N. soldiers in Cambodia in the 1990s. (Full)

Even though the report is only a fragmentary snapshot, does not distinguish between "factual" and "hear-say" observation, and is a partial repeat of earlier reports (which I quoted before on the Road), abuse of any kind can not be highlighted enough, in the hope consequent repressive and preventive action is taken.

The report should take credit that it also highlighted the internal figures from "Save the Children", the organisation who published the report, noting that allegations of sexual abuse by its own staff went up from 11 in 2006 to 15 in 2007.

The full report, you find here.

UN Secretary-General Ban-ki Moon promised a UN probe into the abuse. (Full)

Source: International Aidworkers Today
Picture courtesy Council of Europe