While visiting Haiti you will see that the United Nations’ presence is palpable across the country especially in the capital Port-au-Prince where the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) is housed. During rush hour it is not uncommon to see countless UN vehicles with peacekeepers and leaders in berets (mostly men) among the many motos and cars driven by locals, buses, and NGO SUVs.
Haiti is also the Western hemisphere’s poorest country. That is not to be taken lightly. Poverty is rife and the need for everyday necessities is huge. It isn’t surprising, then, to read that UN peacekeepers are accused of engaging in transactional sex with hundreds of both rural and urban Haitian women in exchange for food, medicines, mobile phones, and money. It also isn’t uncommon for women to become pregnant during this transactional sex as reported by PRI in “Haitian moms demand UN help for the babies their peackeepers left behind.”
Civilians seeking protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound adjacent to Juba International Airport. 2013 Juba, South Sudan UN Photo/Rolla Hinedi
Up to 13,000 South Sudanese civilians have sought refuge at the UN compounds in Juba, fleeing fighting between members of the SPLA (Sudan People’s Liberation Army). UN Photo/Julio Brathwaite
Civilians at the UN House compound on the southwestern outskirts of Juba. Juba, South Sudan UN Photo/Julio Brathwaite
Michael Makuei Lueth, South Sudan’s Minister of Information, addresses civilians outside a compound of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Juba, South Sudan UN Photo/Rolla Hinedi
Civilians arriving at the UN House compound in the southwestern outskirts of Juba, seeking protection from recent fighting in the capital. Juba, South Sudan UN Photo/George Mindruta
Members of the Indian Battalion at UNMISS assisting displaced persons who have fled their homes and are seeking safety and help from the UN. UN Photo/Rolla Hinedi
Civilians seeking protection at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) compound adjacent to Juba International Airport. 1 Juba, South Sudan UN Photo/Rolla Hinedi
UNMISS medical team assisting civilians at the Cambodian-run hospital in the UNMISS compound in Juba. Photos: UNMISS/Rolla Hinedi
Civilians inside the compound in Bor UN Photo/Hailemichael Gebrekrstos
Officers from the UNMISS Japanese contingent providing water to civilians that seek refuge in UN House, the UNMISS compound on the Southwestern outskirts of Juba. UN Photo/UNMISS
The remains of our two colleagues from the Indian Battalion killed in action arrived to Juba for a memorial ceremony. UN Photo/Rolla Hinedi
