U.N. Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres attends the Excessive-Stage Section of the 58th session of the Human Rights Council on the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, Feb. 24, 2025.
Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone
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Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone
UNITED NATIONS — Allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation in U.N. peacekeeping and political missions topped 100 for the third time within the final 10 years in 2024, based on a U.N. report launched Tuesday, which stated 65 of the allegations concerned ladies who gave start after saying they had been raped and had been in search of youngster help.
U.N. Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres stated within the report back to the Common Meeting that the allegations recognized 125 victims — 98 adults and 27 youngsters. This was fewer than the 145 victims recognized in 2023, he stated.
In accordance with the report, two U.N. peacekeeping missions accounted for 82% of the 102 allegations — Congo with 44 and the Central African Republic with 40. The United Nations has lengthy been within the highlight over allegations of kid rape and different sexual abuses by its peacekeepers, particularly by these primarily based within the two African international locations.
However sexual misconduct additionally was reported at U.N. peacekeeping missions from South Sudan to Lebanon, and at political missions in Haiti, Colombia and Afghanistan.
The secretary-general additionally reported 190 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse towards employees of U.N. companies, funds and applications — a decline from 284 allegations in 2023 — and 382 allegations associated to non-U.N. employees who work with organizations implementing U.N. applications.
Guterres has made combating sexual abuse and exploitation a excessive precedence since he turned U.N. chief in 2017 and he has promoted enforcement of the U.N.’s “zero-tolerance” coverage for sexual misconduct. He has initiated a collection of adjustments to U.N. peacekeeping to hurry up investigations, and appointed a victims’ advocate to assist victims of sexual abuse.
However the newest report discovered that whereas U.N. coaching on sexual misconduct is obligatory, a 2024 survey of 64,585 U.N. employees discovered that 3.65% — 2,360 staffers— stated it was acceptable to pay for intercourse. And near 1% — 555 staffers — stated “it was acceptable to interact in sexual exercise with a toddler.”
It stated that “alarmingly” the 2024 U.N. survey additionally discovered a big rise in mistrust towards U.N. management, with 6% of respondents — 3,700 employees members — expressing a insecurity within the capability of leaders to handle sexual exploitation and abuse, double the three% in 2023.
“This underscores an pressing want for leaders to show stronger, extra seen and accountable management to foster belief among the many employees of the United Nations system and the communities they serve,” the report stated.
Since 2006, the report stated, roughly 750 paternity and youngster help claims involving U.N. peacekeeping personnel have been reported, however greater than 500 are nonetheless pending.
All claims are referred to the peacekeeper’s dwelling nation to resolve, however the report stated most haven’t taken significant motion.
The secretary-general urged international locations “to take decisive motion” to carry their nationals accountable and to make sure that youngsters born on account of sexual exploitation and abuse obtain the rights they’re entitled to, together with citizenship.
“I’ll study methods to convey even higher consideration to this essential problem, guaranteeing senior United Nations officers are held personally accountable when addressing sexual exploitation and abuse,” Guterres stated.
