TAKING A CLOSER LOOK

Fraud and Sex Abuse Probes of U.N. Peace Keeping Missions Increase

The United Nations has increased internal probes of fraud and sex abuse complaints by 80 percent.

The United Nations’ internal oversight arm says it has increased internal probes into allegations of fraud and sex abuse among peace keeping missions by 80 percent in 2019 compared to 2018. A report by the Office of Internal Oversight Services released Friday said the highest number of cases it is investigating are in the Central African Republic, followed by Mali, Congo, Western Sahara and South Sudan. Of the 241 cases investigated, 77 were tied to fraud and 73 were related to sexual exploitation. In the Central African Republic, the U.N. also investigated “disrespectful handling of the remains of deceased persons by peacekeepers.”