Quebec police officers engaged in sexual misconduct in Haiti

Several Quebec police officers engaged in sexual misconduct while working as UN peacekeepers in Haiti, including at least two whohad children with Haitian women during the course of their mission, Radio-Canada has learned.

"There's a code of silence. The cases that are not reported are kept secret. People come back and continue their activities," saida former police officer with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

According to CBC's French-language service Radio-Canada, at least two Montreal police officers fathered children while working withMINUSTAH.

One of them had a child with his Haitian housekeeper while on a mission in 2013, contrary to UN rules of engagement, which strictlyprohibit having sex with residents while deployed.

The man, who was in a relationship in Canada, was denounced by colleagues upon his return. He was suspended by Montreal police for nine days. He has since retired from the force and now helps the mother of his child in Haiti.

The case and subsequent suspension reverberatedall the way to UN headquarters in New York, which recently released its annual reporton allegations ofexploitation and sexual abuse in the United Nations system.

'Trivializing the life of a child'

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power also complained at a meeting of the UN Security Council that the officer had only receivedanine-day suspension for his actions in Haiti.

She said the disciplinary action is clearly insufficient.

We have work to do, a lot of work to do to preserve the credibility of our mission, the credibility of our actions.- ElGhassimWane, UN peacekeeping operations

It's a view shared byRosy Augustusof the National Human Rights Network in Haiti.

"Nine days is trivializing the life of a child and it is trivializing the regulation thatthere should be no suchrelationship between MINUSTAH and Haitian workers," she said.

AnotherMontreal policeofficer had a child with a Haitian woman in 2012.

The relationship remained secret until the womandecided to press charges against the officer, who had stopped providing child support.

After investigation, the man was suspended for five days. Reportedly, he still refused to help the mother of his child.

Montreal police confirmed Wednesdaythat there were two cases of sexual misconduct. PoliceCmdr.Ian Lafreniresaid the forcedenounces the officers' behaviour.

Since 2010, police deployed in UN peacekeeping missions around the world have fathered some 20children15 of them in Haiti.

In sodoing, UN police have plunged more Haitian women into poverty, saidMarie-Yolaine Gilles, who also works with theNational Human Rights Network.

"Leavinga fatherless child, I believe it is creating more problems," she said.

Report also mentions SretduQubec

The latest UN report also included details about an officer with theSret du Qubec, the provincial police force, who engaged in sexual misconduct.

The officer was repatriated to the country last year for having sex with Haitian women while working as a peacekeeper.One of the womencomplained.

The officer is scheduled to appear before the SQ's disciplinary committeein July.

SQ policeLt. GuyLapointesaid the force expects "exemplary behaviour" from its officers.

"There are rules, specific police rules, that are deployed on such missions," he said.

In 2013, Radio-Canada reported that another SQ officer had left Haiti after being involved insexual misconduct. Once home, he resigned in order to avoid appearing before the force's disciplinary committee.

The UN acknowledges more needs to be done to address the issue of sexual misconduct.

"We have work to do, a lot of work to do to preserve the credibility of our mission, the credibility of our actions," said El Ghassim Wane, the assistant secretarygeneral for UN peacekeeping operations.

Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs said it will work with the UN to crack down on the problem, adding thatit takes all allegations of misconduct seriously.