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UN Admits Child Sex Problem, But Ban in Denial on Congo Gold and Guns Cover-Up

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis

UNITED NATIONS, May 27 -- The UK-based Save the Children released a report about systemic and unpunished child sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers, and the UN quickly embraced the report, calling it useful. Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson Michele Montas called the report "largely accurate."  While Inner City Press was not permitted to ask her questions about this phrase - for example, did this characterization apply to the testimony of a girl in Cote d'Ivoire that she was gang-raped by ten peacekeepers? -- Jane Holl Lute came and gave a briefing about the report.

   Since a major critique is of the lack of punishment of wrongdoers in blue helmets, Inner City Press asked Ms. Lute for an update on the Moroccan peacekeepers suspended in Cote d'Ivoire, on the Sri Lankan contingent repatriated from Haiti, and of Pakistan's failure to even response to a "note verbal" from the UN asking if those repatriated for the "gold for guns" trading scandal have been put on trial or punished. "I came down to speak about the report," Ms. Lute said, "not those cases.". They are, of course, related. She subsequently acknowledge this, at least as to Cote d'Ivoire, saying the UN Peacekeeping has "asked the mission" there to respond to charges that they were given evidence of child sexual abuse and did not act on it. She said there might be accountability for the mission leadership there. It was unclear if she meant the departed leadership, which most say will not work for the UN again, or current leadership.

Ban Ki-moon in Cote d'Ivoire, Save the Children report and accountability not shown

            While Ms. Lute said that the new Memorandum of Understanding with troop contributing companies does not limit UN responsibility, previously the head of the Office of Internal Oversight Services Inga-Britt Ahlenius told Inner City Press that the new MOU (A/61/19, Part III, Annex) provides that "It is understood that the Government has the primary responsibility for investigating any acts of misconduct or serious misconduct committed by a member of its national contingent."

            So not only is punishment left in the hands of the troop contributing country -- so is investigation. Is this credible? Even Ms. Lute said that there are questions regarding if the UN can investigate itself. Inner City Press asked her if Ban Ki-moon, or UN Peacekeeping, favor the formation of a global watchdog unit on the issue. She said the Peacekeeping supports it, but she didn't know Ban Ki-moon view. Nor do we, even after Ban purported to speak about the issue on Tuesday.

            Notably, while the UN quickly capitulated to the Save the Children report, it continues to aggressively deny reports by BBC, Human Rights Watch and now one of its former auditors about the the trading of gold for guns in the Congo. Inner City Press asked Ban Ki-moon about the former auditor's op-ed in the New York Times of May 23. "I have given my answer to this question," Ban said -- strange, since he was out of town in Myanmar on May 23. Yes, he had previously been asked about the guns for gold trading scandal, by Inner City Press. We have looked at it closely, he said at the time. Tuesday he added, "we did not find much to the allegations." Now that a former UN auditor has come forward to say that his report was whitewashed and covered-up, there seems to be more to say. But Ban did not say it, on Tuesday. He did, however, call Save the Children very helpful.

            What explains this different approach to reports by seemingly similarly situated NGOs? Why does the UN find it easier to cop to allegations of child sexual abuse by its peacekeepers than to charges that peacekeepers traded guns for gold with rebels in the Congo?  Could it be that the latter is based on leaked UN documents -- the current UN hates leaks -- or that the charges of providing guns to militias to kill civilians is so devastating?  "OIOS should look into it," Ban said on Tuesday. "This is what I am going to do." Video here, from Minute 23:23. We'll see.

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These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund.  Video Analysis here

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