Source: Devex
By Sara Jerving
May 23, 2022
The World Health Organization had an “inadequate response” to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, based on publicly available information and intelligence received by a team of United Nations rapporteurs.
A letter written to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the agency’s response may have “prevented a fair and thorough investigation of crimes of sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse” and “weakened the accountability for these crimes allowing perpetrators of these crimes to go unpunished.”
Among the criticisms was a failure to support criminal investigations in DRC, provide reparations to victims, and properly protect confidentiality of victims, according to the letter. The investigation has also been marred by delays.
Read the full article on devex.com: https://www.devex.com/news/un-rapporteurs-say-who-failed-drc-sexual-abuse-victims-103309.