It is a tragedy when a country suffers famine, war, natural disasters, or all of the above. The most affected by such events are the children and they are also the most dependant upon compassion and the supplementation of their most basic needs to survive. In many cases these children are orphaned and left in a world where there is no one to care for them.
This is when aid workers and even UN forces come into the picture and try to help feed and provide security for these stricken communities. However, what is to be done when those very same institutions trusted with that great responsibility takes advantage of those in need? The United Nations has been rife with scandals involving human sex trafficking and while those in the top tiers of power have promised to put an end to the practices, it seems that they have been unwilling, or at best ineffective in instituting such changes.
In a study released by “Save the Children,” a charity aimed at aiding children in need after events such as natural disasters and war, it has been found that sexual abuse by aid workers and even UN Peacekeeping forces has been on the rise in the past few years. In many cases the children are made to perform sexual acts on the workers in order to receive food and supplies. In some instances the children have been forced into sex by Peacekeepers through the use of intimidation.
According to “Save the Children,” this is just the tip of the iceberg because these are only the reported incidents of abuse. It is believed that many others go unreported due to the children being too frightened to come forward. In some cases they are fearful that the aid workers and Peacekeepers may leave their area all together. This in turn would cause the entire region to lose the much needed aid. It is due to this reason that even the communities at large discourage the reporting of these incidents.
Some of the children identified in the study are as young as six years old. Sexual exploitation of those suffering and in need of the basic necessities of life such as food and medicines is bad enough, but when it involves young children it just makes it that much more contemptible and evil. It is important that we, as human beings, keep a close watch on just what exactly is being done in our names. The United Nations is a representation of every member nation involved in that entity and this does indeed include the United States.
When it comes to charities we can never be too sure of exactly what is happening as evidenced by Oprah’s own charity where there were allegations of sexual abuse of the girls attending her schools for girls in Africa. It is my belief that such agencies are in need of much scrutiny and a very watchful eye over their operations. It is absolutely disgusting to think that people must submit themselves to the lustful desires of a few in order to receive the aid which was given to them freely by the good people of this world.
Source
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2614616020080527
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