European Parliament resolution on the involvement of UN forces in sexual abuse in Liberia and Haiti
Date: 2006-12-14
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Haiti, Liberia, help for victims, human rights, multinational force, paedophilia, sexual violence

23.12.2006

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday, 14 December 2006

5. Recalls that Fiji held general elections in May 2006, which were deemed credible by international obser-
vers, notably including a substantial EU Election Observation Mission;

6. Recalls that the coalition government formed by Prime Minister Qarase following the elections has full
democratic legitimacy as well as a very large majority in Parliament;

Stresses that the future of Fiji's multiethnic society depends on the credibility and legitimacy of demo-

7.
cratic institutions as supported by all communities;

Suggests that a ‘truth and reconciliation commission’ be set up in Fiji as a contribution to peaceful

8.
coexistence between the country's two main communities;

9. Calls on the Commission and Member States to suspend immediately all non-humanitarian aid to Fiji,
as specified in Article 96 of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement;

10. Calls on the EU to put in place an immediate travel ban to prevent members of the military forces,
their families or any person linked to the coup d'état in Fiji from entering the Member States;

11. Calls on all Members of the Pacific Islands Forum and other regional and international actors to exert
pressure to resolve the situation and to achieve long-lasting political, economic and social stability in Fiji;

the Member States,

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
the
the Secretary-General of
including Australia and New

12.
the Secretary-General of
of
Commonwealth, the governments of the Pacific Islands Forum countries,
Zealand, and the governments of the Post-Forum Dialogue Partner Countries, including the United States.

the United Nations,

P6_TA(2006)0606

Implication of UN forces in sexual abuses in Liberia and in Haiti

European Parliament resolution on the involvement of UN forces in sexual abuse in Liberia and Haiti

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the UN High-Level Conference on Eliminating Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by UN
and Non-Governmental-Organisation Personnel held in New York on 4 December 2006 and the
Secretary-General's remarks to that conference,

— having regard to the fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of
War (1949) and the additional protocols which stipulate that women shall be protected against rape and
all other forms of sexual violence,

— having regard to the UN Declaration of 20 December 1993 on the Elimination of Violence against

Women and the United Nations Convention of 20 November 1989 on the Rights of the Child,

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) of 31 October 2000 on Women, Peace

and Security,

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday, 14 December 2006

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1265 (1999) of 17 September 1999 on the Protection
of Civilians in Armed Conflict, and particularly paragraph 14 thereof, whereby UN personnel involved
in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peace-building activities must have appropriate training, particularly
in human rights, including gender-related provisions,

— having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and particularly Articles 7 and 8
thereof, which lists rape, sexual slavery, enforced prostitution, forced pregnancy and forced sterilisation
or any form of sexual violence of comparable gravity as crimes against humanity and war crimes and
equates them with a form of torture and a serious war crime, whether these acts are systematically
perpetrated or not during international or internal conflicts,

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1712 (2006) of 29 September 2006 on Liberia,

— having regard to the report by Prince Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein, Advisor to the Secretary-General on sexual
exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeeping personnel, entitled ‘A comprehensive strategy to eliminate
future sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations’ of 4 April 2005,

— having regard to the Office of Internal Oversight Services' report of 5 January 2005, on the investigation
into allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the UN Organisation Mission in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo,

— having regard to its resolution of 1 June 2006 on women in armed conflicts and their role in

post-conflict reconstruction (1),

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the recent claims concerning children in Haiti and Liberia being subjected to rape and prostitu-
tion by UN peacekeepers make this the latest in a sad series of similar scandals, including acts of paedo-
philia by UN personnel
in the Democratic Republic of Congo and trafficking in human beings in
Kosovo,

B. whereas there are nearly 100 000 UN peacekeepers in the world, the vast majority of whom serve
loyally and honourably, but whose contributions to peace and security are undermined by the serious
instances of sexual abuse committed by a small number of individual UN personnel,

C. whereas the UN has investigated 319 members of peacekeeping personnel suspected of committing
sexual abuse since 2004 and disciplined 179 individuals including soldiers, civilians and police officers,

D. whereas UN personnel expelled from the organisation for sexual exploitation are rarely prosecuted in

their countries of origin,

E. whereas the whole purpose of peacekeeping missions is to help countries ravaged by civil or interna-

tional conflict restore stability, guarantee public security and install the rule of law,

Expresses its profound shock at the odious crimes attributed to UN personnel, including the trading of

1.
sex for food;

2. Condemns the acts of UN peacekeepers in Haiti and Liberia that have subjected children to rape and
prostitution;

3. Condemns all acts of sexual abuse and exploitation as well as other criminal acts committed by UN
personnel in violation of human rights as well as flagrantly inconsistent with, and in betrayal of, the peace-
keeping and humanitarian mission of the organisation itself;

Emphasises the particularly heinous nature of these acts of preying on extremely vulnerable and weak

4.
local populations that should be protected, not abused, by UN personnel;

(1) Text Adopted, P6_TA(2006)0245.

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Thursday, 14 December 2006

5. Calls on all Member States of the UN sending personnel on peacekeeping missions to follow up all
claims of sexual abuse and exploitation, particularly those which concern minors, and to bring those indivi-
duals who have committed sexual abuse to court as quickly as possible;

6. Calls on the UN Secretary-General to carry out further investigations into UN peacekeepers' and huma-
nitarian aid workers' role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of children and vulnerable people in order to
put in place an effective monitoring system and enforce the UN's policy of zero tolerance;

7. Welcomes the recent UN High-Level Conference of 4 December 2006 that addressed the issue of
preventing sexual misconduct by field personnel and the Secretary-General's announcement about a forth-
coming strategy to assist victims of sexual exploitation and abuse as well as the use of DNA sampling to
prevent further instances of abuse;

Expresses serious concern over reports of a ‘culture of silence’

8.
in some UN missions, stemming
from the fear of punishment and retaliation; calls on the UN to take all necessary steps to create a working
environment that allows staff to report instances of abuse without fear of retaliation;

9.
Emphasises that, despite current measures and the United Nation's long-standing ‘zero tolerance’
approach, allegations of sexual misconduct persist, that, unless the United Nations can urgently put a stop to
this behaviour, it will have a detrimental impact on the credibility and moral authority of the institution as a
whole and that, ultimately, some Member States may reduce the number of their troops at a time when
there is a strong need for peace-keeping missions;

10.
Stresses the difficulty faced by the United Nations with respect to disciplining troops guilty of sexual
misconduct because of the fact that ultimate responsibility for training and disciplining troops remains the
preserve of Member States; urges the countries concerned, therefore, to implement disciplinary procedures
wherever possible;

11. Welcomes the ambition to create a binding UN treaty on the prosecution of peacekeepers who
commit sexual abuse;

12.
Stresses that such a treaty should also include policies preventing UN personnel charged with such
abuse from being rehired, the setting up of a fund to assist victims of abuse, and measures to improve the
training of UN personnel in respecting human rights;

13. Calls on the United Nations to take steps to ensure the protection of vulnerable people, particularly
women, children, and refugees, in areas where its troops are operating; calls, further, on the United Nations
and the European Union to support measures to empower women in conflict and post-conflict situations so
that they are less vulnerable to sexual exploitation;

14. Welcomes the national campaign to combat Sexual Exploitation and Abuse launched by the
Government of Liberia on 4 December 2006, in conjunction with the UN and civil society organisations,
and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's call to the international community ‘not to misuse [its] wealth and
power to sexually exploit children and women’;

15. Recognises the work of the UN peacekeeping missions in the promotion of peace and security all over
the world;

Instructs

16.
resolution to the Council,
to forward this
Secretary-General of the UN and the governments of the Member States of the UN.

its President

the Commission,

the