Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

UN peacekeepers ‘trade sex for food’ in Haiti

A UN report found that members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti abused and sexually exploited women by trading sex for food and medicine, reports the Associated Press.

The draft report by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services said peacekeepers engaged in “transactional sex” with more than 225 Haitian women.

“For rural women, hunger, lack of shelter, baby care items, medication and household items were frequently cited as the ‘triggering need,’” said the report. It also acknowledged that there is “significant underreporting” noting that a third of alleged sexual abuse involves people younger than 18.

Sri Lankan troops were expelled from Haiti for sexually abusing children in 2007, with no prosecutions or punishments having taken place. 111 soldiers and 3 officers were repatriated back to Sri Lanka after being part of UN mission in Haiti and were accused of a string of sexual assaults, including rape of children as young as 7 years old.

See our earlier posts:

ICP questions UN on impunity for SL peacekeepers (18 September 2013)

Haitian sexual abuse troops remain unpunished (11 January 2012)

Rs 18 billion paid to Sri Lanka for UN peace keeping missions (09 July 2012)

Haitian lawyers condemn impunity for Sri Lankan soldiers (11 September 2011)

Child rape impunity no bar to UN peacekeeping deal with Sri Lanka (27 May 2011)

Sri Lanka forces fire into Haitian civilians (25 November 2009)

UN confirms sex charges against Sri Lankan troops in Haiti child abuse (09 April 2008)

Rape by Sri Lankan troops resurfaces – in Haiti (07 November 2007)

 

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.