'Naming and shaming' urged in UN sex abuse cases
 
By Deborah Zabarenko 
March 1, 2005 
Reuters
Original Source: http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=7778765

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.N. peacekeepers who sexually abuse the women and children they are supposed to protect should be punished and their home countries publicly identified, a U.S. lawmaker said on Tuesday. 

U.N. blue helmets found guilty of sexual abuse are often simply repatriated, which Rep. Chris Smith called a slap on the wrist if there ever was one. 

Smith, a New Jersey Republican who chairs a House of Representatives panel on Africa and human rights, disputed the current U.N. policy of not releasing the names of countries whose peacekeepers commit sexual abuse. 

The idea of naming and shaming countries ... I wonder if that's something that could be a useful tool, Smith asked Jane Holl Lute, assistant U.N. secretary general for peacekeeping operations. 
Allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation have surfaced in the largest United Nations peacekeeping mission, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and U.N. officials including Lute have raised fears that such abuse could be a problem in all 17 of the world body's peacekeeping efforts. 

Lute acknowledged those concerns: The blue helmet has become black and blue with self-inflicted wounds ... This is a stain on U.N. peacekeepers. We're determined to eradicate this. 
U.N. officials said last week they could bar countries from participating in peacekeeping missions if they fail to prosecute offenders, even though the world body is hard-pressed to find nations that want to commit troops to this often daunting work. 

In addition to finding widespread abuse of women and girls, including gang rape, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations has also found cases of sexual exploitation in at least four other missions: Burundi, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Haiti. 

However, Lute disputed Smith's contention that for some, U.N. peacekeeping missions are seen as a kind of sex tourism for soldiers. 

She said a culture of professionalism needs to be fostered among peacekeepers, including specific training in the U.N. Code of Conduct. Lute is working on a set of new recommendations for peacekeeping soldiers.