WHO Employees Part of Congo Sex Abuse During Ebola Crisis
Investigations revealed that more than 80 aid workers, some of whom were employed by the World Health Organization (WHO) were involved in sexual abuse and exploitation during the Congo's Ebola crisis.
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WHO Director General speaks to a health official in Beni, DRC, on August 10, 2018
Independent investigators affiliated with the WHO launched a probe in the backdrop of sexual abuse allegations by the organization's staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The investigation found "clear structural failures" and "individual negligence" on part of the staff, according to a report.
The abuses were committed by locally hired personnel, as well as WHO staff sent to the country to fight the Ebola outbreak between 2018 and 2020.
The investigation included interviews with more than 50 women who accused WHO aid workers of demanding sex in exchange for jobs, or who were victims of rape.
The commission's 35-page report, detailed "the scale of incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse in the response to the 10th Ebola outbreak, all of which contributed to the increased vulnerability of ‘alleged victims’ who were not provided with the necessary support and assistance required for such degrading experiences”.
It was found that at least 21 of the 83 suspected perpetrators were WHO employees and that these crimes, which included 9 allegations of rape, were committed by both national and international staff.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference Tuesday that the report “makes for harrowing reading”.
"I’m sorry for the ongoing suffering that these events must cause.
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) September 28, 2021
I’m sorry that you have had to relive them in talking to the commission about your experiences.
Thank you for your courage in doing so"-@DrTedros https://t.co/CbCTLWbiHi
The investigators highlighted a “perception of impunity of the institution’s staff on the part of alleged victims”. The WHO's Director promised zero tolerence on sexual abuse, saying that it is his top priority that "the perpetrators are not excused but are held to account."
Co-chair of the investigation Aïchatou Mindaoudou revealed that some individuals at higher levels of the WHO were aware of what was going on and did not act.
It is so far not clear if the perpetrators will face prosecution. Tedros said that the rape allegations will be referred to the DRC and the countries of the suspected perpetrators, some of which have yet to be identified.
