According to Western media, African teenagers were becoming victims of rape in the period between December of 2013 and June of 2014. However, as Georgia’s Ministry of Defense claims, Georgian soldiers arrived in Central African Republic to take part in EU peacekeeping mission on the 8th of June of 2014.

“There is zero evidence to confirm the allegation of Georgian soldiers being involved in sexual abuse of children in CAR,” declared André Evrard, French military attaché.

In order to find out more, Georgian Journal interviewed several Georgian servicemen who have already returned from their mission in CAR as well as those still on duty there:

Giorgi, Georgian soldier who served in CAR:

– Our relationship with the locals was excellent – they are very open and sociable people, despite living in extreme poverty. This forces some of them to go around offering sexual services to pretty much everyone for just 2-3 dollars, although I strongly doubt that anyone of us would have agreed to that. Even thinking of having sexual contact with a small child is horrible. As for the videos published on the internet that were used by Georgian media as “evidence,” I can only say that we had very amiable relations with local kids, giving them chocolate and such, but I haven’t heard anyone as much as make an inappropriate joke about them. After all, we are human beings first and soldiers second. There is a whole slew of videos of them singing Georgian songs, us playing with them, teaching them Georgian poems and so on. Allegations of anyone raping these children are beyond the wildest tall tales. All other things aside, we were never left completely alone and were under constant supervision; everything was under control there.

It is true that we gave them some grub and water as well, but without any “compensation” the media implies. I hope the investigation will say its word and those who spread these rumors will get what they deserve. You can’t just go and make such wild and unsubstantiated allegations about people who lay their well-being and lives on the altar of your country’s future. We all have families, parents, sisters, brothers, children – did those gossip-mongers think what they would experience before starting to wag their tongues?

Irakli, Georgian soldier currently on a mission in CAR:

– Everything here is under control of the coalition forces and it is really hard to imagine something like what the media describes actually taking place here. All soldiers are under constant surveillance here, not to mention this is a peacekeeping mission, not a conquest. We were shocked when we heard the news – it is as if the people back home do not value us at all and use every single opportunity, no matter how ridiculous or miniscule, to drag us through mud.