Victims Claim UN Peacekeepers Sexually Abusing Women and Children in Central African Republic

Despite a 2017 initiative to fight sexual exploitation and abuse by UN peacekeepers, nations around the world report the atrocities continue.

Victims in the Central African Republic say the organization has done little to stop peacekeepers from raping women and children.

"I am ashamed of the so-called international community," Marie-Blanche Marboua told USA Today.

Marboua told USA TODAY how a U.N soldier reportedly raped her 10-year-old son a year ago.

"My son is still traumatized," she said. "I have realized that nothing must be expected from these white people. "Now, I put everything in the hands of God."

According to figures released by the United Nations, there were more than 140 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by U.N. staff and peacekeepers in 2016 and 2017, affecting more than 300 people.

In August 2017, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Australian Jane Connors as the first United Nations advocate for the rights of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

"It is about dignity for the victims, compassion, a real feeling of empathy, a feeling that they are not forgotten," Connors said in early December. "That their hurt, their pain is acknowledged, and we do as much as we possibly can do to make their situation better."

Guterres acknowledged his organization faces serious challenges, but vowed that "sexual exploitation and abuse have no place in our world" and further called it a "global menace" that "must end".

The UN says it deployed more resources to fight the scourge of sexual abuse and claims those efforts resulted in a 50% drop in assaults against children by peacekeepers.

"We believe our new strategy is bearing some initial fruit," Atul Khare, a high-ranking UN official told USA TODAY.  Still, he conceded that "even one allegation is one too many."

The cases of assault reportedly go beyond just the rape of women and children.

In April 2017, an Associated Press investigation found a "U.N.child sex ring" in dozens of countries.

"U.N. missions during the past 12 years found nearly 2,000 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation by peacekeepers and other personnel around the world — signaling the crisis is much larger than previously known," the AP reported.

"More than 300 of the allegations involved children" the Associated Press investigation found. "Only a fraction of the alleged perpetrators served jail time."

The revelations come as President Trump looks to lessen America's financial commitments to the global body.

Currently, the United States provides for 22 percent of U.N.s budget.

Late last year, the U.S. made significant cuts in those contributions, eliminating over $285 million off the 2016-2017 final budget for the U.N.

"The inefficiency and overspending of the United Nations are well known," U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said in a statement on December 24, 2017. "We will no longer let the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of or remain unchecked."

"This historic reduction in spending – in addition to many other moves toward a more efficient and accountable UN – is a big step in the right direction," she added.