Report: UN must crack down on troops' sexual misconduct

The report, prepared by Prince Zeid al Hussein, Jordan's UN ambassador, and a former peacekeeper himself, describes the UN's military arm as deeply flawed and recommends withholding salaries of the guilty and requiring nations to pursue legal action against perpetrators. The Associated Press reports that Prince Zeid believes many nations which support peacekeeping (in particular the US, which provides 25 percent of the peackeeping budget) may withdraw their soldiers and funds if change does not come quickly.

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While there have always been allegations of abuse since the UN first started peacekeeping missions 50 years ago, the issue was thrust into the public spotlight after it came to light that UN peacekeepers in the Congo had sex with local women and girls, often in exchange for "small amounts of food or money." Zeid said that peacekeepers often "fail to grasp" the situation around them.

'There are at least some people in peacekeeping who perceive it as almost a form of camping,' Zeid said. 'You can forget how wounded and traumatized the people you're working with are. You can make assumptions that you're entering into a normal consensual relationship if you're a civilian staff member and often those assumptions may be misguided.'

'There are cases of rape by the UN. But much more than that, there are many cases where girls negotiated obligation sex. In war, it is only soldiers who have money," said Petronila Vaweka, the district administrator of Ituri. 'These girls have absolutely no way to make a living. This is their reality, and in some cases, the parents even push it.'

Not all of the troops, however, who have been accused of sexual misconduct are happy about the UN changes. The South Africa Broadcasting Corporation reports that a commander in a battalion on a peacekeeping mission in the Congo accuses the UN of being " biased" against the South African troops, and that they were being "victimized."

Some of the report's other recommendations include requiring UN peacekeeping troops to wear their uniforms at all times, and that the UN should develop "recreational" activities for those serving in these UN missions.

Meanwhile, in another issue before the UN that calls into question how those who commit crimes against humanity in war zones should be tried, Reuters reports that France and the US appear headed for a showdown at the UN Security Council over the issue of who should try those accused of war crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan.

France will ask for a vote on Thursday to the Security Council that would refer Sudanese war crimes to the International Criminal court. The US, however, is opposed to the existence of the court and may veto the resolution.

But as Reuters points out, the US has been at the forefront of the Darfur issue and a veto of the French resolution "could send a signal to Sudan that its officials, militia leaders and rebels were safe from punishment in Darfur, where fighting is escalating, tens of thousands have been killed and some 2 million people have been herded into squalid camps. "

The New York Times reports that Jean-Marc de la Sabli���re, the French ambassador to the United Nations, said a paragraph had been added to ensure that citizens who are not ratifers of the treaty (like the US) could not be tried by the ICC. "We think that this paragraph meets American concerns," Mr. Sabli���re said. "So we hope they'll vote for the resolution."

Also...
• Army documents shed light on CIA 'ghosting' ( washingtonpost.com)
• Counting the Iraqi dead ( FAIR)
• The last cold war casualty ( National Review)

• Feedback appreciated. E-mail Tom Regan .