13 October 2015•Update: 13 October 2015
NEW YORK
The UN agency in charge of gender issues proposed on Monday the creation of a special tribunal to try UN peacekeepers accused of sexual abuse.
The world body has been under international scrutiny over a series of sexual abuse claims against its personnel stationed in world's conflict zones as part of international peacekeeping efforts.
"This problem has sullied the overall reputation of peacekeeping missions and profoundly embarrassed the UN," said the UN Women's 417-page report, which marks the 15th anniversary of a landmark Security Council resolution recognizing the role of women’s leadership in peace and security.
The report -- written by Radhika Coomaraswamy, former UN special respresentative for children in armed conflicts -- said the best way to end these types of abuse "would be the establishment of an international tribunal, created under a treaty between states, with jurisdiction to try UN staff in the field and all categories of peacekeepers".
"The home country of the alleged perpetrator should be under the obligation to prosecute. If they do not, they should be obligated to provide a detailed explanation of the reasons why," the report said.
It added that countries that repeatedly fail to live up to their assurances to investigate and prosecute their soldiers should not be allowed to contribute troops to peacekeeping missions.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned that he would repatriate peacekeepers found to have committed sexual abuse.
According to a UN internal report released in June, at least 480 claims of sexual exploitation and abuse had been made against UN peacekeepers between 2008-2013. A third of those claims involved minors.
The most recent allegations surfaced in August when London-based Amnesty International published a report that claimed UN peacekeepers serving with the UN mission in the Central African Republic had allegedly raped a 12-year-old girl. They also reportedly fatally shot a father and his son while firing indiscriminately in the streets of capital Bangui after armed clashes.
The UN also faced broad criticism over its slow handling of claims of child sexual abuse last year by French soldiers stationed in the country.
