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Health center during the Ebola epidemic in the Congo
Photo: JUNIOR D. KANNAH / AFP
Employees of several aid organizations are said to have been guilty of serious sexual and other assaults in the Republic of the Congo.
This is the result of the report of a commission of inquiry appointed by the World Health Organization (WHO).
According to the research, dozens of women and some men were sexually exploited or raped while aid workers were in the country to fight the Ebola epidemic.
"This is a harrowing report," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The commission spoke to 63 women and 12 men affected.
She documented nine cases of women reporting rape and 29 unwanted pregnancies.
83 possible perpetrators have been identified - 21 of them have certainly worked for the WHO.
Most men flatly denied assault or claimed that sexual intercourse was consensual.
The true number of perpetrators and victims is likely to be significantly higher.
The women raised allegations against WHO doctors and senior staff, including local employees and foreigners.
Sex in return for a job
The cases had come to light a year ago through media reports.
More than 50 women reported that during the Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020, men forced them to have sex in exchange for job offers, or fired them if they refused to have sex.
According to the report, women who worked as cooks, cleaning assistants or in information programs for the population were affected.
They could have got short-term contracts for about $ 50 to $ 100 a month, more than twice as much as local jobs.
“To get ahead in the job, you had to consent to sex.
Everyone had sex in return for something, «the commission quoted one victim, Nadira.
Another woman reported about a suspect: "He threatened that I would lose my job if I did not have sex with him."
A victim named Severine reported that after applying for a job she was asked to work in a hotel and that she was offered the job in return for sex. When she refused, the man raped her. Another woman reported that a doctor, on whose team she worked, had given her a choice: either sex - or she had to give him half of her salary. You have paid.
The WHO concentrated on the fight against the disease, ignored the risks of sexual exploitation and had no system to record complaints from victims, the commission said. "We are humiliated, appalled and our hearts are broken," said WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti. In the Commission's view, however, neither Tedros nor Moeti nor emergency aid coordinator Mike Ryan are personally to blame.
Tedros asked the victims for forgiveness.
"There is no excuse for what happened to you," he said.
He wants to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable.
Four men have been released.
Allegations of rape would be passed on to law enforcement agencies in the Congo and the perpetrators' home countries.
The WHO will ensure that the victims and their children receive medical and psychological help.
The WHO will work immediately on internal processes so that such processes are never repeated.
asc / AFP
