UN
Child Rapes in
CAR May Not Be
In Statistics,
ICP Asks,
Watchlist
Report
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 10
-- When a rare
UN press
conference on
children in
the Central
African
Republic was
held,
featuring
Raimonda
Murmokaite,
Permanent
Representative
of Lithuania
to the UN and
Janine Morna
of Watchlist
on Children
and Armed
Conflict on
September 10,
Inner City
Press went to
ask about
peacekeepers'
child rapes in
the country,
and their
impact. Video
here.
Ambassador
Murmokaite,
who recently
visited CAR,
had cited data
from the CAR
Task Force of
34 rapes from
January to
June, 2015.
Inner City
Press asked if
this figure
included the
rapes ascribed
to UN
Peacekeepers,
and to the
French
Sangaris
Force. She
replied that
the figure was
for rapes by
“parties to
the conflict.”
But does that
include the
peacekeepers?
While some
might say that
peacekeepers
(at least UN
peacekeepers,
as distinct
from French
forces like
Sangaris, or
Licorne in
Ivory Coast,
which act as
parties to the
conflict) are
not parties to
conflict, the
mandate for
example of
some parts of
MONUSCO in the
DR Congo are
akin to
parties to a
conflict. So
this question
remains
unanswered.
Later on
September 10
as UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous exited
a closed door
Security
Council
session about
CAR, Inner
City Press
asked him when
he will, at
least, answer
questions
about
peacekeepers'
rapes. Ladsous
did not
answer. Periscope
video here.
Watchlist's
report,
“Vulnerable
Students,
Unsafe
Schools:
Attacks and
Military Use
of Schools in
the Central
African
Republic,” is
well worth
reading; it is
online.
Watchlist has
done work on
the
peacekeeper
sexual abuse
issue; here's
hoping they do
more. Follow @innercitypressFollow @FUNCA_info
, 
