U.N. needs to make changes to its peacekeeping force

    The sight of a soldier wearing a sky-blue helmet ought to bring hope to a child in a strife-torn country. Too often it brings sexual abuse.


    Peacekeepers sent into troubled regions by the United Nations often do good for residents of places such as Sudan or Haiti. But the “blue helmets,” as they sometimes are called, can become victimizers instead of rescuers.


    A reputable British group, Save the Children UK, has released a report citing allegations of sexual abuse of children by UN peacekeepers in Haiti, Congo, Sudan and the Ivory Coast. According to the report, abuse has ranged from “buying” children for sex to outright rape.


    U.N. peacekeepers are provided by the world body’s member countries. They are selected from those nations’ regular armed forces which, to be blunt, sometimes do not have the same outlooks as the U.S. military on human rights.


    That is no excuse for misbehavior by the peacekeepers, of course.


    The world body itself cannot punish offenders — and some member countries are unlikely to do so on their own. Perhaps the only way to address the problem is for the United Nations to stop using peacekeeping troops from countries with poor records concerning abuse of children. That would at least be a start in addressing the problem, and is a step U.N. leaders should consider immediately.