In November the United Nations announced it was investigating as many as 150 allegations of sexual abuse carried out by the UN peacekeeping force in the Congo.
The actions followed a May 2004 announcement by the United Nations that peacekeepers were alleged to have committed about 30 cases of sexual abuse in the northeastern Congo town of Bunia.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said of the allegations,
I am afraid there is clear evidence that acts of gross misconduct have taken place. This is a shameful thing for the United Nations to have to say, and I am absolutely outraged by it.
There are close to 11,000 United Nations peacekeepers in the Congo. The United Nations cannot punish offending soldiers directly, but instead must return the soldiers to their country of origin and ask it to take action against the accused.
Sources:
UN: 150 Sex Abuse Charges in Congo Peacekeeping. Evelyn Leopold, Reuters, November 22, 2004.
UN Congo peacekeepers guilty of sex abuse. China Daily, November 20, 2004.