UN Whistleblower Faces Retaliation as UN Refuses to Act on Alleged Sex Abuse Scandal

Strategic Insights -

A leaked United Nations report exposes the alleged abuse of young boys by French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic, prompting a response from the French authorities. However, the UN's reaction has been to investigate and threaten to sack the senior official who blew the whistle on the scandal, Anders Kompass, a senior UN aid worker. Kompass passed the internal report detailing the rape and sodomy of boys as young as nine to the French authorities, who then began an investigation in August last year. The UN claims that Kompass breached protocols by disclosing an unredacted internal report, but sources close to the case say Kompass acted because of the failure by the UN to take action to stop the abuse.

Key Takeaways:

  • The alleged abuses took place in 2014 at a centre for internally displaced people in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic, where French peacekeeping troops were stationed.
  • The internal report details the rape and sodomy of starving and homeless young boys, some as young as nine, by French peacekeepers who were supposed to be protecting them.
  • Kompass, a Swedish national and senior UN aid worker, passed the report to French authorities after the UN failed to take action, and he is now under investigation by the UN for breaching protocols.
  • The treatment of Kompass threatens to spark a major diplomatic row, with Sweden's ambassador to the UN warning senior officials that it would not be a good thing if the high commissioner for human rights forced Kompass to resign.
  • Kompass's emails have been seized as part of the investigation into the alleged leak, and a senior UN official has said that Kompass "it was his duty to know and comply" with UN protocols on confidential documents.
  • The UN has faced several scandals in the past relating to its failure to act over paedophile rings operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kosovo, and Bosnia.

Statistics:

  • At least 10 children were allegedly abused by French peacekeepers in the Central African Republic.
  • The alleged abuses took place between December 2013 and June 2014 at a centre for internally displaced people in Bangui, capital of the Central African Republic.
  • The report details the rape and sodomy of young boys, some as young as nine, who were forced to carry out sex acts in return for food and money.
  • The UN claims that around 20,000 people have been displaced due to the conflict in the Central African Republic.

Sources:

  • The Guardian
  • United Nations report (entitled "Sexual Abuse on Children by International Armed Forces")
  • Documents relating to the case (including communications between UN officials and Swedish ambassador to the UN)
  • Interviews with children who disclosed sexual abuse at the hands of French peacekeepers (carried out between May and June last year)
  • Bea Edwards, of the Government Accountability Project (an international charity that supports whistleblowers)