The announcement that Sri Lanka will be accepted on the ‘Circle of Leadership on the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations operations’ has been slammed by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) today.
Responding to the move ITJP’s head Yasmin Sooka said she was “astonished” and “equally surprised that they will be allowed to do so”.
“This flies in the face of the Secretary-General's commitment to victims, manifested in his recent appointment of a Victims Advocate. Haitian victims of sexual exploitation and abuse by Sri Lanka peacekeepers have received scant reparation and justice", said Ms Sooka.
See more from the ITJP here.
Sri Lankan troops have been implicated in the rape of Haitian minors and running child sex rings whilst serving as UN Peace Keeping forces in Haiti. In 2007 a group of Haitian children identified 134 peacekeepers from Sri Lanka in a child sex ring that lasted several years. Though repatriated none of the implicated soldiers were prosecuted in Sri Lanka.