Haiti: Sexual Exploitation by Peacekeepers Likely to be a Problem

On Friday, February 18, a radio station in Gonaïves, Haiti claimed that three members of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Haiti, MINUSTAH, had raped a young Haitian woman. By February 19, MINUSTAH had sent an investigator to Gonaïves to investigate. On February 21, MINUSTAH aired the findings to the Haitian local media at a press conference. While these speedy actions are a welcome change from the way that other UN peacekeeping missions have dealt with allegations of sexual exploitation by peacekeepers, MINUSTAH is still not adequately prepared to address and fight sexual exploitation by UN peacekeepers.