GETTY UN Peacekeepers are accused of sexually assaulting children as young as nine

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Memos about the sexual abuse in the Central African Republic were "passed from desk to desk, inbox to inbox, across multiple UN offices, with no one willing to take responsibility", the report found. It added: "The welfare of the victims and the accountability of the perpetrators appeared to be an afterthought, if considered at all."

Getty UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed "profound regret" over the sexual abuse of children

The investigation revealed that French peacekeepers from the UN's children agency, UNICEF, failed to act on reports of sexual abuse in early 2014 in the midst of civil war. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed "profound regret that these children were betrayed by the very people sent to protect them" and said he accepted the panel's broad findings.

Getty The UN Secretary-General said children were betrayed by the very people sent to protect them