The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. For Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, that unfortunate maxim is emerging as OttawaÕs unofficial policy when they come across cases of sexual assault of civilians by Afghan security forces. Disturbing accounts from several Canadian military police officers of sexual abuse incidents echo the story of Cpl. Travis Schouten, who became aware of the alleged sexual assault of a young boy by an Afghan national army soldier. The soldiers alerted military chaplains, but senior officers have failed to act on the reports, including a written report by chaplain Jean Johns that went up the chain of command. Indeed, Canadian soldiers have been quietly advised by commanding officers Òto ignoreÓ such abuses by Afghan personnel, according to the chaplain at CFB Petawawa. When it comes to abuse in Afghanistan, Canadian soldiersÕ rules of engagement are: donÕt look, donÕt tell. Soldierly misconduct is nothing new; thatÕs why military police are in place and court-martials take place, whether itÕs American soldiers accused of assault in Okinawa or Canadians convicted of torture in Somalia. What is remarkable is that Ottawa would expect our soldiers to turn a blind eye to abuses by the Afghan troops we are trying to train as a matter of national interest Ð ours and theirs. The costs of such disengagement are severe: for the victims, of course; but also for the witnesses, who suffer, like Schouten, from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); and for Canada, which risks the erosion of its own values and integrity. Responding to these allegations, Defence Minister Peter Mackay told Parliament June 16 that troops are under orders to report any unlawful acts. Now itÕs up to their commanders to respond forcefully, rather than look the other way.
