UNITED NATIONS (AP) – The United States is pressing the U.N. Security Council for the first time to confront the escalating problem of sexual abuse and exploitation by U.N. peacekeepers, which has undermined the credibility of the United Nations.
The United States is the biggest financial contributor to the U.N.’s far-flung peacekeeping operations, and U.S. officials said Friday the Obama administration wants the council to send a strong signal that it will not tolerate sexual crimes by troops and police sent to protect vulnerable civilians, especially children.
The council resolution drafted by the U.S. is a response to a new report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon detailing the 69 allegations in 2015 and for the first time naming the countries of alleged perpetrators.
“I am ashamed to call myself a peacekeeper when I think of some of these cases,” Undersecretary-General Atul Khare told reporters Friday. “Anyone serving under the U.N. flag and preying on the vulnerable is truly an abomination.”
Of the allegations in 2015, 23 allegations involved sexual activity with minors.