Sexual abuse in DR Congo: report points to WHO “failures” and “negligence”

Published on : 09/28/2021 – 4:33 PM

“It’s a poignant read.” The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, commented on Tuesday, September 28, on the report published the same day by the commission of inquiry he launched in October 2020. A commission charged shed light on the sexual abuse and violence committed by employees of the organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the findings of which paint a grim picture of WHO’s failings.

The investigation of the commission, co-directed by Aïchatou Mindaoudou, former Nigerien Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Julienne Lusenge, Congolese lawyer, notes “the extent of incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse during the response to the tenth outbreak Ebola, anything that has contributed to increasing the vulnerability of the ‘alleged victims’, who have not received the necessary help and assistance required by such degrading experiences. “

The sexual abuse was committed by WHO staff, both locally hired and international members of teams tasked with responding to the Ebola epidemic, which hit the Democratic Republic of the Congo between 2018 and 2020 , note the investigators. They interviewed dozens of women who had been offered work in exchange for sex or who had been raped.

The commission also notes “the perception of impunity of the staff of the institution on the part of the alleged victims”. She also pointed to “the total lack of reporting of cases” at the institutional level. “The organization, focused mainly on eradicating the Ebola epidemic, was not at all prepared to deal with the risks / incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse,” the report said.

“Dozens of victims” and “21 alleged perpetrators”

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus indicates that the report mentions “dozens of victims” and “21 alleged perpetrators”. “As WHO official, we apologize for what these people, women, girls went through,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Africa Officer. She promised to heed the commission’s recommendations.

“The first thing I want to say to the victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (…) is that I am sorry, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. what was done to you by people who were employed by WHO to serve and protect you. I am sorry for the continued suffering these events must cause you. I am sorry that you had to relive them while speaking to the commission of your experiences. Thank you for your courage for doing it. What happened to you should never happen to anyone. It is inexcusable. My top priority is to make sure that the perpetrators are not apologized, but that ‘they are accountable. “

“As CEO, I take full responsibility for the behavior of the people we employ and for any failures in our systems that allowed that behavior. I will take personal responsibility for making the necessary changes to prevent this from happening. happen again in the future, “added the head of the WHO, adding that the investigation is not over.

With AFP