Panel finds 80 alleged abuse cases tied to WHO's Congo work

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BENI – A sheet commissioned by the World Health Organization has identified much than 80 alleged cases of enactment maltreatment during the U.N. wellness agency's effect to an Ebola outbreak successful Congo, including allegations implicating 20 WHO unit members.

The sheet released its findings connected Tuesday, months aft an Associated Press investigation recovered elder WHO absorption was informed of aggregate maltreatment claims successful 2019 but failed to halt the harassment and adjacent promoted 1 of the managers involved.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus appointed the panel's co-chairs to analyse the claims past October aft media reports claimed unnamed humanitarian officials sexually abused women during the Ebola outbreak that began successful Congo successful 2018.

At the time, Tedros declared helium was “outraged” and vowed that immoderate staffers connected to the maltreatment would beryllium dismissed immediately. Western diplomatic sources accidental 4 radical person been fired and 2 placed connected administrative leave, based connected a closed-door briefing involving WHO that was provided to diplomatic officials successful Geneva connected Tuesday.”

The reappraisal squad was capable to get the individuality of 83 alleged perpetrators, some Congolese nationals and foreigners. In 21 cases, the reappraisal squad was capable to found with certainty that the alleged perpetrators were WHO employees during the Ebola response.

The bulk of the alleged perpetrators were Congolese unit hired connected a impermanent ground who took vantage of their evident authorization to get intersexual favors, according to the report.

The AP published grounds successful May showing that Dr. Michel Yao, a elder WHO authoritative overseeing the Congo outbreak effect was informed successful penning of aggregate enactment maltreatment allegations. Yao was aboriginal promoted and precocious headed WHO’s effect to the Ebola outbreak successful Guinea, which ended successful June.

WHO doc Jean-Paul Ngandu and 2 different bureau officials besides signed a declaration promising to bargain onshore for a young pistillate Ngandu allegedly impregnated; Ngandu said helium was pressured to bash truthful to support WHO’s reputation.

The sheet said that during its interrogation with WHO main Tedros, helium said helium was made alert of the enactment maltreatment allegations erstwhile they were revealed successful the property and had not heard of the incidental involving Ngandu until the AP published its story. The sheet criticized WHO's inclination to “reject each reports of intersexual exploitation and maltreatment unless they are made successful writing.”

Some of the women who accidental they were victimized by WHO officials said they hoped those progressive would beryllium severely punished.

Shekinah, a young Congolese pistillate who accepted an connection to person enactment with WHO’s Boubacar Diallo successful speech for a job, said she hoped helium would beryllium sanctioned by the U.N. wellness bureau and barred from moving for WHO again.

“I would similar him and different doctors who volition beryllium charged to beryllium punished severely truthful that it volition service arsenic a acquisition to different untouchable doctors of the WHO,” said Shekinah, who declined to springiness her past sanction for fearfulness of retribution. “He has nary spot astatine WHO.”

Others said disciplining the WHO employees progressive would spell a agelong mode toward ending unit against women.

“I person been waiting for this large infinitesimal for much than a period to spot however WHO volition authorisation these (doctors),” said Anifa, different pistillate who alleged she received a akin sex-for-jobs connection from Diallo. “We would similar to spot justness done.”

WHO main Tedros made 14 trips to Congo during the past outbreak and publically commended Boubacar Diallo's work. The AP spoke with 3 women who said Diallo offered them jobs successful speech for sex.

Nearly 50 countries, including Britain, the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, aboriginal issued a connection expressing their “deep concerns” astir WHO’s handling of enactment maltreatment concerns, alluding to the AP story. Even WHO’s ain unit committee urged absorption to enactment implicit allegations that “senior absorption whitethorn person suppressed concerns.”

The WHO sheet did not see immoderate outer constabulary oregon judicial authorities and resorted to asking journalists for their contacts of women who made the enactment maltreatment charges, including their names, addresses, and photos.

According to leaked recordings of U.N. meetings obtained by the AP, WHO emergencies main Dr Michael Ryan acknowledged that the Congo enactment maltreatment allegations were apt “the extremity of an iceberg” and revealed a occupation that “does bespeak a civilization arsenic well.”

Following the work of AP’s investigation, WHO appointed a idiosyncratic to oversee the prevention of intersexual abuse, but that authoritative has nary authorization to occurrence anyone recovered blameworthy of abuse.

Julie Londo, a subordinate of the Congolese Union of Media Women (UCOFEM), a women’s enactment that works to antagonistic rape and intersexual maltreatment of women successful Congo, applauded WHO for punishing staffers progressive successful the maltreatment allegations but said much was needed.

“WHO indispensable besides deliberation astir reparation for the women who were traumatized by the rapes and the dozens of children who were calved with unwanted pregnancies arsenic a effect of the rapes,” she said. “There are a twelve girls successful Butembo and Beni who had children with doctors during the Ebola epidemic, but contiguous others are sent backmost by their families due to the fact that they had children with foreigners...We volition proceed our combat to extremity these abuses.”

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Cheng reported from London. Jamey Keaten contributed reporting from Geneva.

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