More
UN Rapes, By
Vendor in DRC,
ICP Asks of
Bentiu Cover
Up, Pattern
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, July
27 -- When
peacekeepers
from France
allegedly
raped children
in the Central
African
Republic and
the UN learned
about it a
year ago, the
UN
and
UNICEF
did nothing,
until UN
Peacekeeping
chief Herve
Ladsous asked
to fire the
whistleblower
in March of
this
year.
Inner City
Press asked
UNICEF about
its role,
here.
After BuzzFeed's
Jina Moore
documented
that when an
aid worker was
allegedly
raped inside
UN
Peacekeeping's
Bentiu
"Protection of
Civilians"
site in South
Sudan, the UN
system
did little to
nothing --
until on July
27, in transcribing
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric's
answer to
Inner City
Press'
questions, the
UN added in a
parenthetical
that Nobert
did not work
for the UN.
On July
30, Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
yet another
case in this
unfolding
scandal, this
one again
involving one
of Herve
Ladsous'
peacekeeping
missions, in
the Democratic
Republic of
the Congo. Video here.
Inner City
Press: I’m
sure you’ve
seen the story
in The
Guardian,
actually by
one of our
colleagues or
former
colleagues
here, Roger,
about the
systematic
rape by an air
contractor of
the MONUSCO
[United
Nations
Organization
Stabilization
Mission] in
the DRC
[Democratic
Republic of
the
Congo].
And they
basically say
that there’s
some pretty
horrendous
evidence or
descriptions
of what
happened, that
the UN kept
paying the
contractor
after, with
some idea of
rehabilitating
it. But
I wanted to
ask you about,
there was an
OIOS [Office
of Internal
Oversight
Services]
investigation
of it, and it
seems since
it’s also a
vendor, it
obviously
brings up this
other… this
case in
Bentiu, which
it was a
vendor, and
the UN said it
could do
nothing.
First, what
can you say to
those who say
it’s pretty
horrendous to
continue to
pay a
contractor
which raped an
underage girl
in the DRC?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
What is…
What is
horrendous is
what happened
to the victim
and what was
done to the
victim by
those two
employees of
UTair.
We go back to
a story that
was, in fact,
reported, I
think, when it
happened a few
years
back.
Our
understanding
is that the
contractors
have been… at
the time, were
removed and
fired from the
company.
Both the DRC
judicial
authorities
and the
Russians were
informed of
the… of our
investigation
into the
case. As
we explained
in the
article, a
procedure was
put in place
at the time to
monitor the
vendor and the
behaviour of
the vendor and
its
staff.
That
monitoring
mechanism
continues.
Every six
months, it is
reported to
our colleagues
in the
Department of
Management,
who review it.
I think…
Again, I think
the issue of
vendors and
contractors is
a very
legitimate one
to
explore.
Given the
criticality of
air support,
there was a
discussion
among the
Department of
Management.
A system was
put in place
to ensure that
this
particular
company was
monitored and
monitored on a
regular basis,
and that
continues to
do… we
continue to do
that.
The behaviour
of our vendors
and the staff
that work for
them should be
at the same
level of
ethics and
behaviour that
we expect of
our own staff,
as they
represent us.
Inner City
Press:
And was there
any
accountability
for the
victims or
victims in the
DRC, was there
actually any
accountability,
either
criminal or
civil?
Spokesman:
Again, those…
the findings
of the OIOS
investigation,
the UN
investigation,
were presented
to both the
DRC and to the
Russian
authorities,
and I think
you’d have to
ask for them
what happened
on the
criminal
end. As
you know, we
have no
criminal
authority.
Inner City
Press: In the
South Sudan
case, where it
was also an
alleged rape
by an employee
of a vendor,
was any
information
given to the
authorities of
either South
Sudan…?
Spokesman:
I think we’re
still… what
happened to
Megan Nobert
is being
looked
into. As
I’ve said,
both here and
in interviews,
she suffered
horrendously,
and our heart
goes out to
her.
The… you know,
UNICEF [United
Nations
Children’s
Fund], which
was the agency
that had the
contract with
the vendor for
which her
accuser… the
alleged
attacker
worked for,
was in contact
with the
vendor, got
him
removed.
I know our
colleagues at
UNICEF are
absolutely
appalled by
what happened
to Ms.
Nobert.
And when I
have more
information,
I’ll share it
with you.
Question:
One final
thing.
Do you see
this as a
pattern?
And two, for
example, since
it’s a UN
system, did
UNICEF impose
any of these
similar
rehabilitation
and reporting
requirements
on…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
Like I said, I
don’t have all
the facts
surrounding
this
case. I
think, again,
I would say
that we
expect…
I wouldn’t
call it a
pattern.
I think there
are hundreds,
if not more,
of vendors and
contractors
that work on
behalf of the
UN who do a
spectacular
job, partner
agencies,
partner
humanitarian
NGOs
[non-governmental
organizations].
But we do
expect anyone
who works on
behalf of the
United Nations
to behave to
the same
ethical
standards.
I will…
Inner City
Press: The
pattern I was
asking about
is a pattern
of a lack of
accountability.
Because the UN
is working in
places that
may have not
very good…
not… not very
developed
judicial
systems and
because the UN
itself is
immune…
[inaudible -
the reference
was to the UN
shirking
responsibility
for
introducing
cholera into
Haiti]
Spokesman:
I think it’s
obviously
something we
need… it’s
something we
need to look
at. Our
ability to
prosecute
people
criminally is
obviously not
there.
It’s up to
national…
either the
authority
where the
crime took
place or the
citizenship of
where the
people
worked."
Shouldn't the
UN provide
some
protection and
accountability
for aid
workers in the
employ of
non-governmental
organizations
funded by the
UN system,
particularly
inside UN
"protection"
camps like
that in
Bentiu?
On July
28, Inner City
Press asked
the UN's top
humanitarian,
Emergency
Relief
Coodinatory
Stephen
O'Brien, about
the case. Video here. O'Brien said he had
recently been
in the Bentiu
camp but, not
speaking
specifically
of the case he
said he did
not know, to
his credit he
said that
facts should
be looked into
and
investigated.
But will they
be?
Minutes
later Inner
City Press
asked UN
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric why
such an
investigation
was not done
in this case
-- did it turn
on the fact
that the
alleged victim
did not work
for the UN
system but for
a UN fundee? Video here.
The UN to its
July 27
transcript
added, "[The
Spokesman
later
clarified that
Ms. Nobert did
not work
directly for
the UN. She
was employed
by an NGO
doing contract
work for a UN
agency.]"
Compare to
actual
briefing, video here.
Not
only did UN
spokesman
Dujarric
refuse to
identify
UNICEF, run by
former US
government
official
Anthony Lake,
as the UN
agency which
did not act on
the alleged
rape, except
to provide
"contact
information"
of the
contractor --
UNICEF, which
was in charge
of the bore
hole drilling
in which the
alleged rapist
was engaged,
has not
directly
responded on
the scandal.
Inner
City Press on
July 27 asked
UN Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric what
accountability
there is when
UN agency
personnel
themselves are
raped. Video
here, and
embedded
below.
Dujarric began
by calling it
a horrendous act
- then said
that what the
UN system did
was give the
victim the
contact
information of
the
contractor.
But, Inner
City Press
asked, since
Sudan-based
Life for
Construction
has let the
alleged rapist
Amed Asmail's
contract
expire, how
will this
"contact
information"
help the
victim?
Dujarric
declined to
even identify
the agency,
which used
public funds
to contract
for water bore
holes for the
Bentiu camp;
when Inner
City Press
asked if it
was UNICEF or
IOM, he cut
the question
off. Video
here.
"has
maintained
staff in
Bentiu and is
rapidly
responding to
the urgent
needs,
drilling new
boreholes for
water, and
today flying
in parts for
the
construction
of new
latrines.
However,
UNICEF said it
remains
hindered by a
lack of
funding and
access."
UNICEF
also sat on
reports of the
sexual abuse
of children in
Central
African
Republic;
we'll have
more on this.
For now,
here's this,
and now UN's
transcript of
briefing - a
[parenthetical]
was later
added,
highlighted
below in bold:
Question:
Sure.
Questions on
Burundi but I
wanted to ask
you something,
you may have
anticipated
coming.
It was a story
which was on
Friday on
BuzzFeed,
quite
detailed,
about an aid
worker in the
UNMISS camp
(United
Nations
Mission in
South Sudan)
in Bentiu, who
alleges that
she was raped
by a UN vendor
or contractor
working for
Life For
Construction.
Basically the
gist of the
article is
that the UN
did absolutely
nothing and
OIOS (Office
of Internal
Oversight
Services) said
they could not
investigate
and there are
no recording
or reports of
sexual abuse
or
exploitation
by vendors
anywhere in
the UN, DPKO
(Department of
Peacekeeping
Operations) or
other
systems.
So I wanted to
know, what is
your response
to it?
What does the
UN owe people
in its
protection of
civilian camps
if they are
raped there,
and why was
nothing done
in this case?
Spokesman:
Well, I think
this was
clearly a
horrendous act
and I think
people who
work, aid
workers,
humanitarian
workers, who
work within UN
camps are owed
the best
possible
protection,
that's
clear.
In this
particular
case, the
agency for
which Ms.
Nobert worked
is greatly
concerned for
the well-being
and safety and
security of
all those
working with
it to deliver
humanitarian
assistance
anywhere in
the world and
it took these
particular
allegations
very
seriously.
[The
Spokesman
later
clarified that
Ms. Nobert did
not work
directly for
the UN. She
was employed
by an NGO
doing contract
work for a UN
agency.] When
it became
clear that the
person accused
of the attack
on Ms. Nobert
was, in fact,
an employee of
a company
hired to
undertake work
for the agency
and not an UN
staff member,
the agency
concluded it
was not a
position to
conduct an
investigation
into the
alleged
actions of
that person
itself.
All of the
agencies
private
contractors
are aware of
the high
standard of
conduct the
agency accepts
from their
staff and the
agency gave
Ms. Nobert the
contact
details of the
employer of
the person
accused of
attacking her,
so that she
could take her
complaint
directly to
the
company.
The agency
also
instructed the
company to
remove the
individual
immediately
from any
project
involving the
agency.
However, given
the highly
sensitive
nature of the
allegations,
the agency had
to respect
both the need
for Ms. Nobert
to raise her
very serious
complaint with
those who can
take actions
and the rights
of the accused
person for due
process.
It therefore
did not share
the specific
nature of the
complaint with
the
contractor,
allowing Ms.
Nobert to
decide on how
and when she
wanted to do
that.
The agency
concerned
believes that
in this
complex
circumstance
it did the
best it could
to support Ms.
Nobert, to
take her
complaint
forward.
I think it's
clear that, in
any of these
cases, we also
need to take a
look how we
responded and
how we can do
better in
responding to
horrendous
cases like
this one.
Question:
Thus seems to
imply…
obviously,
Life for
Construction,
they have
already
terminated the
individual, so
there is no
more
relationship
between them.
So is there…
what is the UN
saying is the
accountability
mechanism for
this alleged
rape?
And, two, you
keep saying
the agency.
Was the agency
in charge of
boring water
holes in the
Bentiu
camp?
Was it UNICEF
(United
Nations
Children’s
Fund), was it
IOM
(International
Organization
for
Migration)?
Which agency
are you
speaking of?
Spokesman:
As the article
makes clear,
Ms. Nobert
specifically
requested the
agencies she
had contacts
with shall not
be named and
we will
respect her
wishes.
Question:
Who is in
charge of
boring the
water holes?
Spokesman:
That is what I
have to share
with you and,
if I have,
more I will
share with
you.
, 
