“I think it’s hard to imagine the outrage that the people working for the United Nations and for the causes of peace and security feel when these kinds of allegations come to light. Particularly involving minors, it’s so hard to understand.”— Mr. Anthony Banbury, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Field Support.
While addressing the sexual abuse allegations trailing peacekeepers in the Central African Republic on January 29, 2016, Banbury, who was reportedly close to tears, assured the world that the UN is working hard to bring the perpetrators of these abuses to justice.
Allegations of sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers in the CAR have been circulating since 2013 and following the report by the United Nations, the French government launched an investigation to fish the culprits out. However, that did not help reduce the recurrence of these allegations. By August 2015, the rate at which these acts were occurring had become alarming and both the UN and MINUSCA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic) came under fire for treating the accusations with levity.