UN calls for ban on peacekeeping for countries over child sex abuse

UN has urged he ban of countries from peacekeeping duties, if their troops sexually abused children where they were deployed, after a recent scandal involving French troops.

An internal review, commissioned before the latest scandal broke, recommended that the home countries of peacekeepers are identified annually and a six-month deadline for investigations are imposed on the countries.

It also recommended that countries be obliged to disclose disciplinary action taken against soldiers, as well as governments' failure to report.

At the moment, peacekeepers can only be prosecuted by their own state.

The review panel's chairman, former president of East Timor, Jose Ramos-Horta stressed "immunity should not mean impunity".

Sri Lankan troops were expelled from Haiti for sexually abusing children in 2007, with 111 soldiers and 3 officers were repatriated back to Sri Lanka after being part of UN mission in Haiti and were accused of a string of sexual assaults, including rape of children as young as 7 years old. No prosecutions or punishments have taken place.

No mercy for soldiers found guilty of abuse says French president Tamil Guardian (30 April 2015)

Sri Lankan army contingent leaves for Lebanon peacekeeping mission (09 February 2015)

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