ACCRA, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Ghana's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey Tuesday stated that her country took a serious view of the issue of sexual exploitation and abuse in United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Speaking at a flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers in Accra, Botchwey said, as a member of the UN Secretary-General's circle of leadership against sexual exploitation and abuse in the peacekeeping operations, Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had made a personal commitment to help in preventing sexual exploitation and abuse.
"The government would, therefore, take swift punitive measures against any member of our troops or civilian personnel who is proven to have mis-conducted him/herself while on peacekeeping duties, contrary to the exemplary high standards that Ghana's peacekeepers on UN mission have held themselves to over the years," she said.
The assurance comes after the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) recalled a unit of police officers from Wau and confined them to base after a preliminary investigation into allegations of sexual exploitation.
The information received indicates that some members of the Ghanaian Formed Police Unit allegedly engaged in transactional sex, which is a clear breach of the UN and UNMISS code of conduct which prohibits sexual relationships with vulnerable individuals, including all beneficiaries of assistance.
The International Day of UN Peacekeepers was instituted by member states of the UN to acknowledge and appreciate the selfless service of all men and women who have served and continue to serve in peacekeeping missions across the world.
Ghana is noted for its role in peacebuilding in many countries. As at April, 2018, Ghana ranked as the 10th largest contributor to UN missions, with a total number of 2,645 peacekeepers.
