[lit-ideas] Re: Willie Pete's Role Reversal

  • From: Judy Evans <judithevans1@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2005 18:21:31 +0000

Eac>and often is mentioned how they do nothing about the UN
Eac>Peacekeeping forces who are having sex with little 12 and
Eac>13 year old girls in exchange for pieces of food (not even money...).

I think you mean

Gu>allegations have recently surfaced that troops sent to police
Gu>Liberia were regularly having sex with girls aged as young as 12,
Gu>sometimes in the mission's administrative buildings.

Gu>In the DRC, peacekeepers were said to have offered abandoned orphans
Gu>small gifts - as little as two eggs from their rations, says the report
Gu> - for sexual encounters.

"alleged", "said"

Eac>I'm sure that UN Peacekeepers  are
Eac> also running  around in Speedos and shooting anything that moves.

after all, they're worse than us...

EY> Eric: Yeah I wonder what happened to that scandal. They busted 
EY> some French troops who were part of the UN contingent, shuffled 
EY> around some of the officers as though they were pedophile 
EY> priests, and issued promises of reform. Then it sort of hushed 
EY> up. Any resolution on that?

The UN can't (couldn't as of March 25 2005) discipline such troops.

Gu>Yesterday's report, by Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid al-Hussein, was
Gu>commissioned to reform the way in which troops behave on UN
Gu>missions. It was also aimed at devising a new investigative
Gu>framework to detect and deter soldiers exploiting young victims,
Gu>who are often impoverished refugees.
...
Gu>the report's more radical recommendations are contained in proposals
Gu>to over haul the investigation of allegations of rape and abuse.
Gu>Courts martial, it says, should be set up within mission areas
Gu>for "serious offences" to ensure immediate access to witnesses and evidence.

Gu>They would demonstrate that there was "no impunity for acts of sexual
Gu>exploitation and abuse by members of military contingents". At present
Gu>many of the accused return to their home countries where prosecutions
Gu>are rarely pursued.

Gu>There have been exceptions. In the DRC, France recently jailed one UN
Gu>civilian employee for rape and making pornographic films. South
Gu>Africa and Morocco have also taken action against others.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,3604,1445537,00.html



-- 
Judy Evans, Cardiff, UK

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