(Newswire.net — June 25, 2015) — While French UN troops in Central African Republic are still under investigation amid sexual abuse allegations, another sexual scandal emerges casting shame at the peacekeeping organization.
The UN announced that it has opened an investigation of the child abuse cases in Bangui, of which it notified troops from contributing countries, Russia Today reported.
“If the allegations are substantiated, this would constitute a grave violation of UN principles and of the code of conduct of peacekeepers,” spokesperson of the Secretary General, Stephane Dujarric said in New York. “The member-state will be requested to take swift and appropriate punitive action.”
On Monday the UN notified troops in the Central African Republic (CAR) that they would have ten days to report back to the UN on their action plans in response to the allegation.
According to the UN, the latest case of sexual abuse occurred in Bangui (CAR) last Friday. US CAR mission (MINUSCA) troops, allegedly sexually abused underage girls Dujarric said, without disclosing details. However, an UN official told AP that at least two girls were involved in the recent scandal. According to an AP source, girls were receiving food and supplies in exchange for sex with troops from an African peacekeeping contingent.
“Medical care and assistance is now being provided to the alleged victims,” Dujarric said, adding that the crimes could go back as far as 2014.
According to RT News, the new allegations are the third in a series of UN sexual scandals that surfaced in recent months from CAR, which undermine the integrity of peacekeeping troops around the world. There are currently 16 missions across the world counting more than 125,000 troops the UN reported.
The integrity of the global UN peacekeeping contingent in the world was also tainted by routine sexual abuse reported by UN investigators. Again, the scandals involve sex in exchange for food, jewelry and basic electronics.
To address the issue of the UN contingent’s sexual misconduct, which is strictly prohibited by the organization, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appointed a three-member panel, headed by former Supreme Court justice of Canada Marie Deschamps, to handle the child sexual abuse allegations in the Central African Republic.