Close X
Friday, October 11, 2024
ADVT 
National

Two Canadians Cops Accused Of Sex Abuse During UN Missions; One Fathered A Child

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 04 Mar, 2016 12:25 PM
    Two Canadian police officers were accused of sexual misconduct during United Nations missions abroad last year, a report released Friday states.
     
    In one case, according to the report, a Canadian officer was found after a 55-day investigation to have fathered a child, pulled back from the country involved, and suspended for nine days.
     
    The second case is still under investigation, the report states. No further details of the two cases were reported.
     
    A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale referred calls to the RCMP, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
     
    The report on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse by soldiers and police personnel serving as peacekeepers was released by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
     
     
    "The secretary-general remains distressed by continuing instances of sexual exploitation and abuse but resolute in ensuring ever more effective means to prevent and address the profound betrayal through such acts by United Nations personnel against the people they are charged with protecting," the report states.
     
    In all, 41 adults and 22 minors were either alleged or confirmed as victims, the report states.
     
    Amid anger at allegations of sexual violence by foreign forces serving in the Central African Republic, Ban last year ordered intensified efforts to prevent sexual abuse. He also put in place a "zero-tolerance" policy.
     
     
    The secretary-general also called for on-site court martials of alleged perpetrators and DNA testing to identify them. He urged the 193 UN member states to update their national laws to ensure they apply to sex crimes committed by their citizens serving in UN peace operations.
     
    The new report is the first one to identify the countries of alleged perpetrators.
     
    The total number of new allegations of sexual exploitation or sexual abuse related to UN personnel last year reached 99 — 19 more than the year before.
     
    "This regrettable increase in the number of new allegations signifies that more needs to be done to reduce the number of allegations and, more importantly, the number of victims affected by sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by United Nations personnel," the report states. 
     
    Of those, 69 involved allegations of the sexual exploitation and abuse on nine current peacekeeping missions and one closed one. Of the missions involved, 15 involved staff members or UN volunteers, 38 involved members of military contingents or UN military observers, and 16 involved police officers.
     
    At the end of January, investigators had finished work in 17 cases, finding seven complaints substantiated.
     
    The largest number of complaints came from four peacekeeping missions in Haiti, Liberia, Ivory Coast and Mali. UN stabilization missions in the Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo also saw high numbers.
     
     
    According to the report, an average of 84 Canadian police officers were deployed abroad last year. No allegations were made against the average of 29 Canadian soldiers deployed on peacekeeping missions.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Rescuers Remember Katrina And Pledge Improved Readiness In Case Of B.C. Quake

    Rescuers Remember Katrina And Pledge Improved Readiness In Case Of B.C. Quake
    The Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team has announced plans for a major exercise next June on Vancouver Island.

    Rescuers Remember Katrina And Pledge Improved Readiness In Case Of B.C. Quake

    NHL Player Mike Richards Charged By RCMP In Manitoba With Possession Of Controlled Substance

    NHL Player Mike Richards Charged By RCMP In Manitoba With Possession Of Controlled Substance
    EMERSON, Man. — Police in Manitoba have charged NHL player Mike Richards with possession of a controlled substance.

    NHL Player Mike Richards Charged By RCMP In Manitoba With Possession Of Controlled Substance

    Smoke From Washington State Fires Casts Pall Over Some Okanagan Businesses

    Smoke From Washington State Fires Casts Pall Over Some Okanagan Businesses
    Heavy smoke sweeping in from Washington state wildfires is causing some tourists to blow off their Okanagan vacations, say business people around Kelowna, B.C.

    Smoke From Washington State Fires Casts Pall Over Some Okanagan Businesses

    Spinlister, Website Allowing People To Rent Out Their Bikes Makes Inroads In Canada

    Spinlister, Website Allowing People To Rent Out Their Bikes Makes Inroads In Canada
    Years after Bixi and its competitors set up shop in Canada, another bike-sharing system that some describe as the AirBnB of cycling is making inroads in the country.

    Spinlister, Website Allowing People To Rent Out Their Bikes Makes Inroads In Canada

    Fracking Firm Linked To 2014 B.C. Temblor Says Cause Of Recent Quake Not Established

    Fracking Firm Linked To 2014 B.C. Temblor Says Cause Of Recent Quake Not Established
    VANCOUVER — A natural gas operation that halted work after a 4.6-magnitude earthquake in northeastern British Columbia last week has been linked to the largest earthquake in the province that's been attributed to fracking.

    Fracking Firm Linked To 2014 B.C. Temblor Says Cause Of Recent Quake Not Established

    Suspect In Letter Bomb That Injured Winnipeg Lawyer Seeking Bail

    Suspect In Letter Bomb That Injured Winnipeg Lawyer Seeking Bail
    Guido Amsel is facing more than a dozen criminal charges related to  the July 3 blast.

    Suspect In Letter Bomb That Injured Winnipeg Lawyer Seeking Bail