Children traded for food, money, soap and mobile phones in war zones
Author: markw // Category: NewsAljazeera
Children in the Ivory Coast, Sudan and Haiti have faced abuse by staff from aid agencies and the United Nations, a London-based charity has reported. Save the Children said its researchers had evidence that children from the age of six are being traded for food, money, soap and mobile phones in war zones and disaster areas. The UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) was said to be the group most likely to be responsible for abuse. Save the Children said there had been 15 claims against UNPKO staff and partners last year, of which three were upheld.
The charity said an international watchdog should be set up to look at the alleged abuse. Jasmine Whitbread, the charity’s chief executive, said: “It is hard to imagine a more grotesque abuse of authority or flagrant violation of children’s rights. “This research exposes the despicable actions of a small number of perpetrators who are sexually abusing some of the most vulnerable children in the world, the very children they are meant to protect.” More
Sphere: Related ContentTags: abused, Children traded, sex, United Nations
