UNMIL Releases 2006 Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Report

09 March 2007 - (UNMIL) The UN Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, has released its Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) report for 2006, showing a decrease in the number of allegations reported during the year. Thirty allegations were reported in 2006 as compared to 45 in 2005. The release of the report is in fulfillment of the commitment of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Alan Doss, to implement UN policy of keeping the public regularly informed about efforts being made to eradicate any incidents of S.E.A. involving UN personnel.

“We have made some progress in our prevention efforts and we will continue our efforts to reinforce the UN’s zero tolerance policy, because even one incident of sexual exploitation and abuse is one too many,” says the UN Envoy. “Any such incident distracts from the hard work and sacrifice of the vast majority of UN peacekeeping personnel.”

Ten of the reported cases under investigation allegedly involved sex with minors; two are of sexual assault and rape of adults; one is in connection with prostitution; and 17 involved consensual relationships with members of the local population. These independent and thorough investigations are conducted by the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS,) which reports directly to its New York Headquarters.

OIOS investigations into four of the 30 allegations have been completed, and the full reports are awaited. Once these reports are released UNMIL will make the outcomes known and where allegations are substantiated, then necessary disciplinary action will be taken.

The 2006 UNMIL Report on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse shows that the decrease in the number of allegations – compared to the previous year - was mainly due to the preventive measures taken by the mission, and its Conduct and Discipline Unit (CDU) which became fully operational in 2006. These measures included a compulsory induction course for all military and civilian staff members to raise awareness about the effects and consequences of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. The UN Mission in Liberia has also adopted a collective approach to prevention by involving the Liberian government, NGOs and the local communities in various programmes aimed at raising awareness. So far, 35 local NGOs have been trained to spread the UN’s message on S.E.A. prevention.

Furthermore, UNMIL has drawn-up a list of establishments known for promoting and condoning prostitution, and areas reputed to be involved in the sale and use of narcotic drugs and the trafficking in persons which are “Off limits” to UNMIL personnel. These “Off-limit” areas were kept under constant surveillance and the list was regularly reviewed. Moreover, the UN Secretary-General’s Zero Tolerance policy on S.E.A. has been constantly publicised within the mission and across Liberia.

UNMIL has also established a dedicated telephone hotline to encourage the public to freely and confidentially report any allegations or complaints of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.

UNMIL continues to take allegations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse very seriously and will work with the government of Liberia and other partners to curb all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse in Liberia.

From:http://www.unmil.org/article.asp?id=2051