Editorial: Khaleej Times

22 July 2007

IF YOU thought that UN peacekeepers were the best hope for bringing security to troubled nations, think again. It is believed that there was not much of a sex trade in Cambodia till UN peace troops started pouring into the country.

The UN mission stationed in the country to protect civilians was accused of widespread sexual abuse. Such crimes perpetrated by UN personnel were also reported from countries like Haiti, Liberia, Somalia and DR Congo. In some cases, UN soldiers allegedly demanded sex in return for food.

The cases have been piling up over the past few years. The former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, vowed to enforce a 'zero tolerance' policy towards the guilty. But there had been little progress in bringing perpetrators to book and reforming the system of UN peacekeeping.

The world body is now apparently trying to make some headway in this regard by launching a probe in Ivory Coast. The UN battalion in the region has been confined to the base after troops were accused of sexually exploiting underage girls. The UN has suspended all troop activities which indicates that the matter is being handled with due seriousness because the scandals have certainly cast a blight on the credibility of its peace missions.

There has been an intense debate on whether such sexual offenders should be punished by their home countries or they should come within the purview of international laws. Since the UN is an international organisation that was established to ensure world peace, there should be a legal mechanism to deal with such crimes internally. If the UN is deploying its troops in various parts of the world, it should make sure that none of its peacekeepers, who commit such heinous crimes as rape and murder, is shown any leniency. Stringent penalties should be imposed on offenders irrespective of their race, creed or nationality. It's time the UN shows the world that it is not a defunct organisation that cannot deal with the shameful conduct of its soldiers effectively.