▼▼▼TO SEE PHOTOS AND THE VIDEO CLICK HERE DOWN▼▼▼
"We can confirm that out of the 11 allegedly abused women, six were minors. Seven of the alleged victims have already given birth and four women are still pregnant," UN spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters on Tuesday.
The Tanzanian contingent is part of the UN peacekeeping mission's Force Intervention Brigade, tasked with offensive operations. The mission said it received the allegations in the northeast Congolese village of Mavivi on March 23.
Haq said four of the allegations are linked to members of the current Tanzanian battalion, while the rest were related to the previous contingent. The accused peacekeepers have been detained, while the remaining troops were confined to base.
"Pending the results of an investigation, all measures will be considered in terms of how we respond, including potentially the repatriation of the unit, and command accountability will also be sought," Haq said.
He said Tanzania told the United Nations on Monday that it had appointed an investigation team which would travel to Congo in the coming days. He said the UN had recommended that the Tanzanian investigation be conducted jointly with the UN Office for Internal Oversight Services.
The women and girls have been referred to the UN Children's Agency UNICEF, which has a team on the ground, Haq said.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, which was initially put in place during a civil war that took place in 1998-2003, is the world body's largest, with around 20,000 uniformed personnel.
A total of 99 allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse involving UN staff members were reported last year, a sharp increase from 80 allegations in 2014. The majority (69) involved personnel in 10 peacekeeping missions.
Dozens of the accusations have been centered on neighboring Central African Republic, where the UN troops assumed authority from African Union troops in September 2014.
There are currently 106,000 troops and police serving in 16 UN peacekeeping missions. The United Nations has pledged to crack down on the spreading allegations of abuse to avoid a repeat of past mistakes.
Tanzania’s representative to the UN, Ambassador Tuvako Monongi, confirmed that the government intended to launch a full investigation into the matter in cooperation with the UN.
Speaking at an informal, interactive session in New York between the UN secretariat and member states on sexual abuse in UN peacekeeping missions, Ambassador Monongi said:
“We do not see this as an aspect of naming nations and shaming, but (…) as a cry for help in support of the most vulnerable. Consequently, as a member state from which some elements of its military personnel are implicated in a number of sexual exploitation and abuse allegations in the DRC, this for us is not a moment of pride.”
He said a board of inquiry had been formed to undertake the investigation that could lead to prosecutions and possible dismissals from military service on completion of applicable penalties.
“We are acutely conscious that for many people caught in conflict and poverty, the UN represents their hopes for security, peace and prosperity. When those deployed to protect them perpetrate sexual exploitation and abuse against these people, it does not only victimize them, but undermines the sacred trust between the UN and those it seeks to help,” Monongi said.
The claims of sexual abuse across missions have shaken the UN system to the core with the latest allegations being the first linked to Tanzanian troopers. There are 11 allegations altogether, some having paternity claims.
According to reports from the DRC, the Tanzanian soldiers implicated in the | allegations have already been detained.
The UN’s newly-appointed special coordinator on sexual abuse, Jane Holl Lute, is now en route to the Central African Republic - where there are more than 100 cases against UN peacekeeping personnel - and then onto the DRC.
Lute addressed member states before her departure, saying: “My charge is to measurably help strengthen the UN system's ability to prevent and rapidly respond to these events when they occur.”
“What does that mean? We need to measurably reduce the incidents of this kind of sexual violence and unspeakable horror."
"We must rapidly bring aid to victims, we must timely investigate and yes, provide protections to those who come forward, witnesses on the ground particularly in need of protection.”
Post a Comment