Viols en Centrafrique : rapport de l'ONG Aids-Free World

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March 30, 2016 — Sources have informed AIDS-Free World’s Code Blue campaign that the following information, based on newly received allegations of sexual abuse committed as recently as this week and as far back as 2013, is in the hands of the UN’s senior leadership:

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• ONG
• République centrafricaine
• Viols

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• Publié par: Fil_actu
• Publié le: 01 avril 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 18 756
• Langue: English

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SHOCKING NEW REPORTS OF PEACEKEEPER SEXUAL ABUSE IN THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

March 30, 2016—Sources have informed AIDS-Free World’s Code Blue campaign that the following information, based on newlyreceived allegations of sexual abuse committed as recentlyas this week and as far back as 2013, is in the hands of the UN’s senior leadership:

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Two weeks ago, UNICEF interviewed98girlsin aprovince of the Central African Republic (CAR)who reported that theyhad been sexuallyabused byinternationalpeacekeepers. Last Saturday, March 26, 2016, the DeputySpecial Representative of the Secretary-General and a delegation from MINUSCA, the UN’s peacekeeping mission in CAR, met with local leaders and victims who reported that troops from France and Gabonhave sexuallyabused severalgirls in their province. Some victims left the area due to stigmatization bythe community. o Duringthat visit, three victims interviewed bya MINUSCA Human Rights Officer reported that in 2014, they and a fourth girl were tied up and undressed inside a camp by a

o

militarycommander from the Sangaris force(the French militaryintervention in CAR)

andforced to have sex with a dog.Eachgirl was thengiven 5000 Central African Francs (<USD $9). The threegirls interviewed sought basic medical treatment. The fourthgirl later died of an unknown disease. One of the survivors said that she was called “the Sangaris’ dog” by people in the community. A women’s association informed the MINUSCA delegation that manycases of sexual abuse and rape have been committed by international peacekeeping forces and CAR combatants.

o Medical assistance in the area is currentlynon-existent. An NGO based outside the area has one mobile clinic that moves in and out of the region. o All the allegedperpetrators have reportedlyleft CAR, returninghome in 2015. In anotherpart of CAR, the mother of a 16-year-oldgirl informed localpolice that a Congolese UNpeacekeeper raped her daughter in a hotel room at 4:00p.m. onMonday, March 28, 2016. Whenpolicequestioned the accused in thepresence of his UN militarycommander, the soldier confirmed that he ‘had sexual intercourse’ with the victim several times, andpaid her between 2000 and 3000 Central African Francs.

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Sources also informed AIDS-Free World’s Code Blue campaign that on March 29, 2016, “all

Senior-Levelactors”, includingUnder-Secretaries-General AnthonyLake, Executive Director of

UNICEF; Jane Holl Lute, Special Coordinator on Improvingthe United Nations Response to

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse; and Miguel de Serpa Soares, Legal Affairs and Legal Counsel,

were called byBan Ki-moon’s Chef de Cabinet, Mr. Edmond Mulet, to an urgent crisis meetingon the recently disclosed reports from CAR. These include crimes from 2013, 2014 and 2015 that “mayhave beenperpetrated bya combination of non-UN and UN”peacekeepingpersonnel. Decisions reportedlytaken at that meeting: Ensure a unified system response to victims, and unified“messaging”to:

 i. the Secretary-General;

 ii. the host government (the Central African Republic);

 iii. the capitals of implicated TroopContributingCountries;  iv. the Presidents of the SecurityCouncil and the General Assembly;  v. the media;  vi. relevant NGOs, includingHuman Rights Watch; and  vii. regional organizations (the African Union and the European Union).

UNICEF has allocated approximately10per cent of its remainingannual budget(USD $2 million) to augment response capacityin CAR, which AnthonyLake said will be difficult to sustain unless more funds are requested or identified. Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support Atul Khare has instructed that MINUSCA funds can be used for victim assistance where necessary, including transportation, medical support and emergency psycho-social care, and he will request Member States to make urgent contributions to an “established” victims’ assistance trust fund. CAR Crisis GroupPrincipals will “give urgent consideration to a strategy” to mitigate risk to victims, communities, andpotential witnesses. Investigations:“Integrated/multidisciplinaryassessment teams” includingOffice of Internal Oversight Services investigators as well as UN staff members from MINUSCA’s Human Rights Office, UNICEF, and the UN Population Fund, have been sent to investigate in affected remote areas of CAR, and “additional members to support urgent investigations are beingdispatched in the coming days.” By close of business today, March 30, 2016, teams in CAR were to provide the leadership in New York with the best available detailed information “to inform the Spokesperson.” Also today, March 30, 2016, the UN would inform:

 i. the Government of the Central African Republic;  ii.Member State(s)implicated “where aprima facie case has been established;”and  iii. Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council.

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Notification to other implicated Member States was marked “To Be Determined.” Starting April 1–5, 2016, the Secretary-General is to consider dispatching high-level envoys to Member State(s)whose troops have been implicated, “whereprima facie allegations have been confirmed.” Media:Based on updates bythe Department of Peacekeeping/Department of Field Services, UNICEF, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Spokesman was to prepare an‘If Asked’response for the Secretary-General and conveyit byMarch 29, 2016.