UN peacekeepers betrayed trust of the public, says former UN investigator
People are trusting the UN to come in with a peacekeeping mission and do the right thing. You lose that trust when people who are brought in to help are harming.- Robert Hotston, former chief investigator with the UN in Haiti
On March 11, 2016, the United Nations adopted a resolution to tackle the issue of sexual assault committed by its peacekeepers.
On March 14, 2016, The Current interviewed Emma Phillips, the counsel for the Independent Panel on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by International Peacekeeping Forces in the Central African Republic, who spoke to what she believes is lacking in the report — confronting the culture within the UN that allowed the assaults to occur.
If you're a peacekeeper from Canada the rules say that you cannot engage in any sexual activity with anybody in the peacekeeping mission. Period.- Robert Hotston, former UN chief investigator, Internal Oversight Services in Haiti
After hearing this interview, Robert Hotston contacted The Current. He is a former Chief Resident Investigator with the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services in Haiti from 2011 to 2013.
Hotston investigated 1,200 cases of fraud, theft and sexual assault and misconduct where each country had its own rules.
Canadian Robert Hotston joined The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti to speak about the frustrations of trying to hold UN peacekeepers accountable.
This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien.