See Peter Dennis, “The U.N., Preying on the Weak,”The Washington Post, Tuesday, 12 April 2005, sec. A, p. 21-21, regarding recent revelations of sexual misconduct and a culture of abuse by United Nations and nongovernmental organization (NGO) staffs in Sierra Leone refugee camps. Dennis states, “Although charged with the care of desperate refugees, many of the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees] staff remained ambivalent or hostile to the basic rights and needs of these vulnerable people. And they acted without fear of consequence. The risk to these staff members is low in U.N. refugee camps, because peacekeepers engaged in criminal acts are immune from local prosecution. Therefore, local parties seeking justice must travel to the peacekeeper’s home country. U.N. workers from countries with unresponsive legal systems, or those committing unspectacular crimes, can sleep easy.”
