"Republicans and Democrats on Wednesday decried an epidemic of sex crimes committed by United Nations peacekeepers and called on the State Department to act more urgently to end the abuse by cutting off foreign aid to countries that won't hold their troops accountable.
At a Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., the panel's chairman, underscored his disgust for what he described as 'moral depravity' by saying he'd rush home to North Chattanooga to protect his family if he learned that U.N. peacekeepers were being sent there...
The U.N. has long faced allegations of sexual abuses by its peacekeepers, especially those based in Central African Republic and Congo. The U.N. says there were 69 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers in 2015.
Corker and other senators also demanded to know why U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and other senior U.N. officials have allowed the problem to fester. A 2005 U.N. report documented episodes of sexual exploitation and abuse, including the exchange of sex for small amounts of money or food. The United States, which is the largest financial contributor to U.N. peacekeeping operations, should exercise its leverage more aggressively if the U.N. continues to drag its feet, they added.
'What is wrong with the Secretary-General of the U.N.?' Corker asked. 'I mean is he just so inept that he can't (keep) this from happening over and over and over again? How do we put up with such inept leadership at the United Nations?'..."