The sexual abuse scandal in Haiti arose in 2007, accusing the United Nations peacekeepers, mainly of the Sri Lankan peacekeeping contingent, of committing immoral sexual abuse among other offenses of sexual misconduct during the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

. In 2016, the Sri Lankan government decided to make a one-time ex-gratia payment to a victim and child born as a result of sexual exploitation and abuse, which was praised by the UN.

Background

In November 2007, 114 members of the 950 member

Sri Lankan Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

peacekeeping mission in Haiti were accused of sexual misconduct and abuse. 108 members, including 3 officers of the 950-member-strong Sri Lanka peacekeeping contingent, were sent back after being implicated in alleged misconduct and sexual abuse. Officials in Haiti have said that UN peacekeeping soldiers from Sri Lanka who had been accused of sex crimes in 2007 had even raped

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

as young as 7 years old.BBC NEWS"> The UN released a report slapping the Sri Lankan contingent with accusations of building a brothel in Martissant,

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

charging them with systematic sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of minors,

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

and rape. "In exchange for sex, the children received small amounts of money, food, and sometimes mobile phones,” reported the OIOS, the UN's investigative arm.

Investigations and reactions

After inquiry into the case the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) has concluded, ‘acts of sexual exploitation and abuse (against children) were frequent and occurred usually at night, and at virtually every location where the contingent personnel were deployed.’ The OIOS said charges should include statutory rape "because it involves children under 18 years of age". UN spokeswoman

Michele Montas Michele (), is an Italian male given name, akin to the English male name Michael. Michele (pronounced ), is also an English female given name that is derived from the French Michèle. It is a variant spelling of the more common (and identically ...

said: "The United Nations and the Sri Lankan government deeply regret any sexual exploitation and abuse that has occurred."BBC NEWS" /> The Sri Lankan Officials claim that there is little tangible evidence on this case. Noted Haitian female activist Ezhili Danto alleges: In March 2013, a fresh batch of 400 soldiers from the Sri Lankan Army's Sinha Regiment left for Haiti as part of the UN Peacekeeping mission.

References

{{reflist 2007 in Haiti History of the Sri Lanka Army Sexual abuse cover-ups Wartime sexual violence Sex crimes Violence against women in North America Forced prostitution Sex gangs

Background

Investigations and reactions

See also

References