UN Peacekeepers Banned From Having Sex with Local Congolese

United Nations peacekeepers stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been banned from having sex with local residents as a result of allegations of widespread sexual abuse of women and girls by peacekeepers. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan sent a letter to the Security Council requesting a curfew and 100 more military police to monitor the abuse.

According to BBC News, cases of girls being sexually abused by UN peacekeepers in the DRC began surfacing early last year. Since then, the UN has investigated 150 allegations, including gang rape, in the north-east part of the Congo. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services found that UN troops paid women and girls food and money in return for sex.

In previous years, UN peacekeepers have been linked to sex abuse in East Timor, Cambodia, Bosnia, and Kosovo.

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Media Resources: BBC News 2/10/05; Xinhuanet 2/9/05; LA Times 2/10/05

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