Congo146;s UNdoing

In the corner of the tent where she says a soldier forced himself on her, Helen, a frail fifth-grader, remembers seeing a blue helmet.The UN...

In the corner of the tent where she says a soldier forced himself on her, Helen, a frail fifth-grader, remembers seeing a blue helmet.

The UN peacekeeper who tore off her clothes had used a cup of milk to lure her, she said. It was her favorite drink, but one her family could rarely afford. After she gulped it down, the foreign soldier pulled Helen into bed, she said. After an hour, he gave her a dollar and pushed her out of his tent.

In this same eastern outpost, another UN peacekeeper 8212; unable to communicate with a 13-year-old Swahili-speaking girl 8212; held up a cookie and gestured for her to draw near. As the girl, Solange, reached for it, the soldier reached for her. She, too, said she was raped.

The UN said recently that it had uncovered 150 allegations of sexual abuse committed by peacekeepers in Congo. In Bunia, a programme run by UNICEF has treated 2,000 victims of sexual violence in recent months. It is not just the militia members who have been preying on the women. So, too, women say, have some of the soldiers.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said recently there was 8216;8216;clear evidence that acts of gross misconduct have taken place8217;8217; in the United Nations8217; Congo mission, which began in 2000.

Helen and Solange said they had not told their stories even to their parents, never mind to UN officials. Rape carries a heavy stigma here, both girls made clear.

The allegations levelled against UN personnel in Congo include sex with underage partners, sex with prostitutes and rape, an internal UN probe has found. Investigators said they found evidence that peacekeepers and civilian workers paid 1-3 for sex or bartered sexual relations for food or promises of employment. A confidential report prepared by Prince Zeid Raad Al-Hussein 8212; Jordan8217;s Ambassador to UN 8212; dated November 8, says the exploitation 8216;8216;appears to be significant, widespread and ongoing8217;8217;.

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Fifty countries are represented in the UN8217;s Congo mission. Already, a French civilian has been accused of having sex with a girl and two Tunisian peacekeepers have been sent home.

The UN report details allegations of sexual misconduct by peacekeepers from Nepal, Pakistan, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa and Uruguay and lists incidents in which some soldiers tried to obstruct investigators.

Judith and Saidati, both 15 and sexually experienced with Congolese boys, acknowledged that they were looking for foreign boyfriends as they sold their fruit. Each time they had sex, the soldiers would give them 5, they said. Sometimes, they would get other gifts, too, they said.

One day, however, a social worker told them of the dangers of having sex with soldiers. The woman told them about AIDS and the other sexually transmitted diseases. The two said the social worker8217;s words frightened them, and they had not had any boyfriends for the last few months.