91Èȱ¬

We've starting discussing about UN peacekeepers in Haiti and Liberia. A Haitian caller says he's disappointed in the UN troops - and he thinks they should leave Haiti.

Fiona, from Save the Children, is with us in the studio. She says its time that tough action was used to stamp out this problem - and its not just UN troops, but aid workers and government officials.

explains that the problem is that there are no real ways to hold the peacekeepers to account.

A Sierre Leonean caller in the US calls us: 'Absolutely the whole PK operations should be held to account for the actions of this minority. It damages the view of the whole.'

"There's a desperate need for peacekeepers, and the danger is going for quantity over quality."

Some of the emails that have come in:
Jean de Dieu, Virginia USA: "I remember it clearly, the UN officials in Uganda attracting young sex workers from the neighboring countries girls traveled from Rwanda, Burundi and other areas to make money in Kampala where the UN peace workers were stationed. Is there a solution? I don't think so It is a sad true story that goes on every day."

Timilehin, Lagos, Nigeria: "This type of exploitation represents, quite simply, the loss of innocence of these children."

We're joined by a spokesperson for UN peacekeepers in Liberia. "Put this in perspective - there are huge numbers of peacekeepers who are disciplined and are doing great work."

Another two emails:
Hana Z. Prague: "The problem is the peacekeepers are just mercenaries, not the Jedi knights we'd need them to be."

James, Freetown, Sierra Leone: "More should be done in ensuring that morally upright soldiers are selected and the UN should follow through to see that defaulters are punished. "

Some of your text messages that have come in:

Amina, Nigeria: "The U.N Peacekeepers are usin der position 2 abuse children. They must be brought 2 book as a lesson 2 others."

Joel in Uganda: "I am newly married to a woman volunteering for the UN World food programme in northern Uganda but her male bosses have all been trying to sleep with her and now she feels unsure of her job. It is sex for jobs here."

Lawrence, in Ghana: Lets not forget that the locals themselves readily offer themselves to these soldiers.

Edison: This act is totally disgusting. It's hard to understand how victims feel after sexually abused. Action needs to be done to allow the agony to stop.

Back in the studio, Fiona of Save the Children is asking the UN representative what practical measures he would find useful for combatting this abuse. He replies: 'We have to stop these coming up in the first place. This means that the member nations properly train the troops that they are sending on the mission. The other thing is that we need to be told about every abuse that occurs. We work very hard to combat these, and we take any allegations very seriously - we need to hear about them."

Fiona points out that the President of Liberia today launched a campaign to stop the exploitation of women. And she hopes that the UN conference on abuse, happening on the 4th of December, will result in great efforts to stop exploitation.

A final few text messages:
Ekayu, Soroti, Uganda: "So long as men are separated from their wives or girlfriends for long periods they will always look around for alternatives. Just advice the UN soldiers to go for women above 18 yrs of age."

James, Accra, Ghana: "It is the responsibility of the member states to contribute disciplined soldiers. Because of the allowances paid to the soldiers in some countries it is those who pay bribes to their superiors who get sent out. Unfortunately it is the name of the UN that gets dragged in the mud."

Hassan, Nigeria: "Rape incidences would persist in peace keeping missions unless soldiers are made to stay in the field for very short periods."

Kindama, Sierra Leone: "The soldiers in the UN do not represent themselves but the organisation they serve therefore the U N should be held responsible for not passing laws that will tell soldiers to zip up. "

Joe, Karachi, Pakistan: "Wouldn't it be interesting to know what is causing these individuals to do these things, in order to be able to prevent it from happening again? Maybe they are under a lot of mental stress and not receiving therapy. Not that that would justify their actions, but helping them instead of just punishing them might be more beneficial..."

Next up: The 'Angel of Soweto' was the name given to Jacqueline Maarohanye of the Ithuteng Trust. A South African TV documentary has claimed that she got children to fabricate stories to gain more money from donors.

The TV show's producer, George, is in our Johannesburg studio. "Mama Jackie" is a woman who claimed to have taken the most difficult school children, and reformed them in her school.

There's no surprise among our South African callers that no one will speak positively for Mama Jackie - South Africans are angry and feel let-down by Ms Maarohanye. George from the TV show: "I'm quite sure that in the beginning she helped a lot of people, that this was started with good intentions, but it beggars belief how this went so wrong."

Dan emails from the USA: "First, , now the Angel of Soweto. How credible does this make Oprah Winfrey look? "

Finally, we're very quickly to Fiji, to talk to Peter. If the country's military chief doesn't have various demands met he says he'll take over the country at midday - so in about five hours time. Peter says the atmosphere in Fiji is calm, but people don't really know what to expect of the future. It could be the 4th coup in 19 years, and Peter is hoping that it won't be violent, but he can't be sure. There's a danger of looting - that's frightening.'