During the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly two dozen World Health Organization personnel sexually assaulted 50 women, according to an independent panel, according to Reuters.
Between 2018 and 2020, 83 assistance workers were accused of sexual assault, according to a 35-page study, with 21 of the 83 alleged abusers working for WHO.
According to Reuters, 29 of the 50 women who were raped or pressured into having sex were pregnant, and several of them were forced to undergo abortions by their employers.
WHO workers “proposed” or “coerced” these women to have sex in order to retain or acquire a job, according to a 2020 investigation by the Thomson Reuters Foundation and The New Humanitarian.
A 44-year-old woman told Reuters that she was informed by a WHO employee that she needed to have sex to gain a job. “This had such an impact on so many women,” she explained.
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Some of the ladies said they were compelled to have sex with their bosses on a regular basis at the company. “I can’t think of anyone who worked in the response who didn’t have something to give,” the lady told Reuters.
During the same time period, an unknown number of local women were sexually assaulted, with two of them becoming pregnant, according to the BBC.
According to the BBC, they were allegedly “ambushed in hospitals,” given alcohol, and raped.
According to Reuters, not all of the culprits have been identified, but those who have been identified have been fired from their positions at the WHO.
According to Reuters, the investigation is still underway, although it’s unclear if the offenders will face charges.
The charges against the offenders will be handed on to Congo and their respective countries, according to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“What happened to you should never happen to anyone. It is inexcusable. It is my top priority to ensure that the perpetrators are not excused but are held to account,” Ghebreyesus said to the victims.
