Children living in countries affected by conflict and natural disaster are being sexually exploited and abused by the very people hired to help them – aid workers and peacekeepers. However, the silence around this is appaling. This report tries to address this problem by looking at why it persists and what solutions might be fitting.
This report distinguishes between two possibilities: the conditions on the ground that make women vulnerable, and the need for humanitarian organisations to look at themselves. It discusses a wide variety of topics that need to be considered in preventing sexual abuse by humanitarian actors/professionals. The report ends with a Plan of Action and time-schedule for implementation.
This paper uses the stories of 29 aid workers from around the world to piece together the scale of the abuse within the sector. This research finds that gender-based violence, perpetrated by humanitarian actors, is condoned, covered-up, and replicated throughout the entire aid sector. It will attempt to make sense of the abuse of power and privilege which has become a daily reality for women working in the sector, and for the women and girls it serves.
This report takes a step back and looks at how gender works within difficult, insecure environments with high risk-factors. It relates this to personal values and beliefs and organizational environments. It provides a clear background into the possible relationships and methods to deal with this.
The story from a whistleblower on sexual exploitation and abuse who was forced to resign after 21 years of UN service. He talks about how the UN has dealt with the information that had come to light and what the impact has been on his career.
This book provides the first book-length description and analysis of what has colloguially been referred to as Aid Land. By looking at three of its main sites – the grand hotel, the SUV and the compound – the book uncovers the history of what has become an endemic, expected yet unexamined part of the aid landscape. It develops a model that helps to understand the impact of spatial considerations and material culture on aid work and maps out the unintended outcomes.
This book focuses on a key accountability instrument employed by non-profit organizations and professionals: voluntary programs or codes. They seek to create institutional incentives for participating actors to adopt specific codes of conduct and practices beyond what is legally required of them.
This report provides extensive insight into sexual harassment and assault perpetrated by aid workers. First, they discuss that women are mostly victims, and that the majortity of perpetrators are men working in the aid industry. They also review security training materials and policies and procedures of organisations, to assess how agencies prevent and respond.
This paper reviews the current situation with regard to sexual violence in humanitarian emergencies. It focuses on sexual violence in general, and identifies multiple aspects wherein the humanitarian community can aid to prevent and respond to this phenomenon.
This report is a case study on transactional sex and working in prostitution in humanitarian settings. It is foremost a descriptive study that helps the reader understand prostitution and transactional sex from a local point of view: what does it entail (for example their level of exploitativeness or survival/livelihood strategy), what are the motivations behind it, how often does it occur, who are the major clients.