[afro-nets] Sex Ban on DR Congo Peacekeepers

[Babalola Faseru <bfaseru@yahoo.com>]

Sex Ban on DR Congo Peacekeepers
--------------------------------

Dear Colleagues,

Please find below this report from BBC on line.

--
Girls as young as 13 reportedly abused

UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been
banned from having sex with locals after claims of widespread
abuse of women and girls. The new rules were disclosed in a let-
ter from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the Security Coun-
cil. Mr Annan also called for 100 extra military police and
French-speaking investigators to "root out" the abuse.

The victims were usually given food or small sums of money in
return for sex, a report by the UN watchdog, the Office of In-
ternal Oversight Services, said in January.

The UN has investigated 150 allegations, including gang rape,
made against some 50 soldiers based in DR Congo's north-eastern
town of Bunia. It has not named the countries involved, but re-
ports mention soldiers from Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, South Af-
rica, Tunisia and Uruguay, as well as a French civilian.

In his six-page letter to the UN Security Council, Mr Annan ex-
pressed his "personal outrage" at the abuses.

His letter spelt out the new regulations for more than 12,000
military personnel from the UN Mission in Democratic Republic of
Congo (Monuc).

The "non-fraternization" measures included a curfew for military
contingents, specialized training for all mission personnel and
development of recreation and welfare opportunities "to allevi-
ate the concentrated stress present in filed missions".

[SOURCE: BBC Online, 10/FEB/05]

Regards,

Babalola Faseru
mailto:bfaseru@yahoo.com