Jolie slams peacekeepers over abuse allegations

UN Refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie marked World Refugee Day on Tuesday at a Kenyan home housing refugee girls who fled unaccompanied or split from their parents while fleeing conflict.

Jolie

US actress and the UNHCR Special Envoy Angelina Jolie addresse the media at the International Peace Support Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, 20 June 2017 Source: EPA

The Hollywood star visited at least 20 of girls in a safe house in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. They had fled conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Somalia, Burundi and Rwanda, UNHCR said in a statement.

It said almost all had experienced sexual and gender-based violence and many had given birth after being raped or were pregnant.

"The horror of sexual violence is compounded when it is carried out by someone in uniform who has taken an oath to protect," Jolie said.
"So it is a responsibility of those who wear uniform to take the lead now by correcting from within, setting an example, and stepping forward with new commitments."

The UNHCR says Kenya hosts some 491,000 refugees, of which 101,713 are from South Sudan, which the UN has said is the world's fastest growing refugee crisis.

Ms Jolie's comments come UN officials announce more than 600 troops from Congo Republic serving as UN peacekeepers in the Central African Republic will be returning home following allegations of sex abuse and other misconduct.

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Published 21 June 2017 7:45am
Updated 21 June 2017 8:19am
Source: Reuters

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