UN Internal Justice Clears Whistleblower Anders Kompass in African Republic sexual abuse case

By Staff Writer | Jan 19, 2016 09:56 PM EST

Whistleblower of the sex abuse of children by French soldiers has been absolved. After UN Internal Justice investigated, Anders Kompass, the director of field operations for the office of the high commissioner for human rights in Geneva, he has been declared clean.

In 2014, Kompass reported to the French authorities about what the French soldiers are allegedly doing to the children in Central African Republic. New Indian Express reported that UN officials had accused the Swede national of violating policy by not withdrawing the children's names. He was the operations director for the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights during that time. He then was suspended in office but later the UN Dispute Tribunal returned him in office. Afterwards, an independent panel reviewing his case acquitted Kompass.

United Nations' "gross institutional failure" on the issue led to more misconducts said Canadian judge Marie Deschamps.  Deschamps, who led the panel, said UN's failure to take action on accusations that French and other peacekeepers sexually abused children in Central African Republic directed to even more attacks. According to Washington Post, the panel dismissed the disagreement that Kompass had breached U.N. policy. They instead found out that former head of the U.N. internal watchdog, Carmen La Pointe, exploited her power. She inappropriately opened an investigation of Kompass in an answer to the "single-minded determination" of the U.N. human rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein.

Kompass said to The Guardian that he was relieved but a bit sad. He said that he does not understand why most UN officials treated him that way when they all know that those types of issues are a taboo to them. He also explained that it is important for the younger staff to see that he was vindicated. He added that he went through everything to let them know that it is alright to do the correct thing because justice will prevail.

There was no immediate action from many different UN offices when Kompass handed them the confidential document. He was even reported of not following the protocol when he allegedly revealed the names of the children involved. His seniors in the UN did not acknowledge his presence after everything was settled. 

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