United Nations, June 16: A UN report
says that Indians in its peacekeeping operations were involved three
substantiated cases of sexual exploitation or abuse between 2010 and 2013. During
those four years, there was a total of 64 substantiated cases of sexual abuse
by UN peacekeepers, according to the report released Friday. More than 100,000
uniformed personnel serve in UN peacekeeping operations.
For context, the UN Office of Internal
Oversight Services (OIOS), which looked into allegations of sexual exploitation
and abuse in peacekeeping operations, however, noted in its report that largest
contributors of troops to the UN like India had lower incidence of cases of
abuse. India, which currently has over 8,000 personnel in the peacekeeping
operations, is one of the largest contributors to the UN.
The other largest contributors of
uniformed personnel to the UN are Pakistan, which has more than 8,750 in UN
operations and had four substantiated cases, and Bangladesh with over 9,000
personnel and two such cases. “While many variables, including contingent size,
could affect the numbers of substantiated allegations, it appears that the
largest TCCs (troop contributing countries) do not have the highest number of
substantiated allegations against their personnel,” the report said.
Britain, which has fewer than 300
personnel serving in UN operations, had one substantiated case. South Africa
with 2,160 had the highest number of cases, nine. Uruguay with under 1,500
personnel had eight cases. The UN Department of Field Services, which deals
with the deployment of personnel in peacekeeping operations, said in response
to the report, that given the huge number of troops deployed “it can easily be
argued that such data would more appropriately point to individual failings
than to the overall attitude of a member state’s military forces towards SEA
(sexual exploitation and abuse).”
The report lacked specific
information about the incidents, except for one case against Pakistani police
personnel in Haiti involving the abduction and rape of a 13-year-old boy. According
to the report, besides outright violence and rape, many cases involved troops
providing gifts to women and girls, exploiting their poverty. In some of the
instances, the women were given food and supplies for babies and in others,
gifts like jewelry, clothing and electronics.
One of the areas of concern in the
report was the lack of action by many countries sending personnel to the UN
operations when complaints of sexual abuse were made. It would appear that
India has been cooperating with the UN when complaints arise and taking action
as it was not listed among the nations that had not complied with its requests
for reports on follow-up actions. In an earlier case involving Indian
peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo in 2008, India ordered 12 officers
and 39 soldiers to undergo DNA tests to see if they had fathered children with
local women.
