Disgrace under the Blue Helmet

UN peace-keeping troops have been accused of rape, furthering prostitution and sexual abuse of women and children. Ursula Rüssmann comments on the background to accusations levelled at German Blue Helmets: "The UN cannot itself ... punish violations. That must be done by the state that sent the troops, and as far as Germany is concerned there is little hope of that. Certainly, no one believes that the German troops, who are burdened with an increasing number of foreign missions, are always well-behaved and stay clear of the bordels in Bosnia, Kosovo or Kabul. But for its part the Ministry of Defence has consistently sought to cover itself through a three-fold policy of suppression: ask nothing, know nothing, do nothing. No question about it: the soldiers' offences are far less scandalous than the army's looking the other way."

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