REPORT ALLEGES SEX-FOR-FOOD BRIBERY BY WEST AFRICA AID WORKERS

Once again the UN has decided to hide behind the veil of secrecy   WEST AFRICA, May 6, 2002 (LSN.ca) – A report published last month by the UNHCR and Save the Children revealed a serious problem in west Africa regarding primarily male aid workers using food and other aid to bribe primarily female child refugees for sex. The report “has shocked the humanitarian relief world, forcing agencies to act to root out abuse and safeguard their reputation as protectors of the vulnerable,’ reports the African news agency AllAfrica today. “Payment for sex was often as little as a few biscuits, a plastic sheet or a bar of soap, says the report commissioned by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and British-based Save the Children.”  One of the most serious problems with the United Nations is the lack of accountability throughout the system, this despite widespread evidence of mismanagement and corruption throughout the organization. Once again the UN has decided to hide behind the veil of secrecy, even though the victims of the cover-up are sexually assaulted children. According to AllAfrica, “the UNHCR and Save the Children said they would not publish the names of organisations accused of involvement. People are supposed to trust them implicitly when they say they are working on measures to stop the sexual exploitation and deal with its consequences. The report was based on speaking with 1500 adults and children in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.  The report alleges that perpetrators include staff of the UN, international and national nongovernmental organisations, security forces, government officials, community leaders, diamond miners, logging company employees, local businessmen, parents, grandparents, priests and teachers. As the report notes, this kind of abuse exacerbates the terrible problems that already exist among the refugees: “… even if exploitation was eradicated overnight, some of its consequences would be far-reaching for example, a large number of teenage mothers, a high incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, the absence of relationships not based on transactions, and the psychological effect on children.”  See:  UN Finally Forced to Probe its Pedophilia Scandel https://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2002/5/6/151901.shtml Sex for food finding shocks Humanitarians https://allafrica.com/stories/200205060175.html