UN says 50 peacekeepers punished for sex abuses

GENEVA — The United Nations says at least 50 peacekeepers have been punished by national authorities over the last three years for committing sexual abuses on U.N. missions.

The U.N. says the punishments ranged from reduction in military rank to eight months imprisonment.

The data released Thursday comes after repeated requests from media organizations for information on the punishments governments are meting out to peacekeepers accused of rape and other abuses in conflict areas such as Congo.

The global body didn’t make public any identities or nationalities.

The data showed a significant increase in prosecutions in 2009.

But the figures also showed that many U.N. requests for action have gone unheeded by the governments who contribute peacekeepers to missions.