In order to resolve the largest known sex scandal in the history of the U.N. health agency—the mistreatment of more than 100 local women by staff members and others during a fatal Ebola outbreak—the physician who oversees the World Health Organization’s efforts to prevent sexual abuse travelled to the Congo earlier this year.
One of the abused women Dr. Gaya Gamhewage visited gave birth to a baby with “a malformation that required special medical treatment,” according to an internal WHO report from her trip in March. This meant additional expenses for the young mother in one of the world’s poorest nations.
The WHO has paid $250 apiece to at least 104 women in the Congo who claim they were sexually assaulted or taken advantage of by officials trying to limit the spread of Ebola in order to aid victims like her. According to internal data obtained by The Associated Press, that sum per victim is $19 more per day than what Gamhewage earned during her three-day stay, and less than a single day’s expenditures for certain U.N. officials working in the Congolese capital.
In a nation where many people live on less than $2.15 a day, according to WHO documents, the sum covers typical living expenses for fewer than four months.
Women weren’t given compensation without conditions. They had to finish training courses meant to assist them in beginning “income-generating activities” in order to get the money.
The payments seem to attempt to get around the United Nations’ declared position that it does not make restitution payments by tucking the cash into what it refers to as a “full package” of assistance.
Numerous sexually victimised Congolese women are still unreceived. About one-third of the confirmed casualties were “impossible to locate,” according to a confidential document released by WHO last month. Almost twelve ladies reportedly turned down the WHO’s offer.
The $26,000 that the WHO has given the victims in total is around 1% of the $2 million “survivor assistance fund” that the WHO established for victims of sexual misconduct, mostly in the Congo.
Recipients told the AP in interviews that although the money they got was scarce, they still desired justice.
The Code Blue campaign’s co-director, Paula Donovan, called the WHO’s payouts to victims of sexual abuse and exploitation “perverse” in an effort to end what the organisation refers to as impunity for sexual misbehaviour within the U.N.
“Giving people seed money to help them start their own businesses is not unheard of, but it is unthinkable to combine that with compensation for sexual assault or other crimes that result in the birth of a child,” the woman added.
Donovan continued, “It creates uncomfortable circumstances for victims of wrongdoing seeking help when the women are required to attend training before receiving the cash.”
According to WHO documentation, Gamhewage was informed by the two ladies she met with that their top priority was for the “perpetrators to be brought to account so they could not harm anyone else.” The women remained anonymous.
In an interview with the AP, Gamhewage stated, “There is nothing we can do to make up for (sexual abuse and exploitation).”
The cost of food in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and “global guidance on not dispensing more cash than what would be reasonable for the community, in order to not expose recipients to further harm” were among the criteria used by the WHO to calculate its “victim survivor package,” according to the AP. According to Gamhewage, the WHO was acting on advice from specialists at nearby nonprofit organisations and other U.N. organisations.
It’s clear that we haven’t done enough, Gamhewage remarked. She said the WHO would speak with survivors personally to find out what more assistance they needed.
According to her, the WHO has also assisted in covering the medical expenses of 17 infants who were born as a result of sexual abuse and exploitation.
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A piece of land and medical care were among the remuneration that at least one lady who claimed to have been sexually assaulted and impregnated by a WHO doctor negotiated and agency authorities approved. As part of an agreement “to protect the integrity and reputation of WHO,” the doctor also consented to pay $100 every month until the baby was delivered.
However, several women who claim that WHO employees sexually harassed them in interviews with the AP said that the organisation hasn’t gone far enough.
Alphonsine, 34, claimed she was coerced into having sex with a WHO representative in exchange for a position with the Ebola response team in Beni, eastern Congo, the epicentre of the 2018–2020 outbreak, as an infection control worker. She didn’t reveal her last name, like other women, for fear of retaliation.
Alphonsine verified that the WHO had given her $250, but the organisation informed her that she needed to complete a baking course in order to get the money.
Alphonsine stated, “The money helped at the time, but it wasn’t enough.” She stated that she eventually filed for bankruptcy and that she would have loved to be given a piece of land and enough cash to launch her own company.
The typical daily allowance for a visiting WHO staff member working in the Congo is between $144 and $480. An internal travel claim states that Gamhewage was paid $231 per day for her three days in the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa.
According to internal papers, staff expenditures account for over half of the $1.5 million ($821,856) that the WHO allocated for the purpose of preventing sexual misconduct in the Congo in 2022–2023. A further 12% is allocated to preventive initiatives, while the remaining 35%, or $535,000, is designated for “victim support,” which according to Gamhewage includes psychological, legal, and transportation aid. The $2 million Survivors’ Assistance Fund, which helps victims all around the world, is not included in that budget.
With a total budget of approximately $174 million, the WHO’s Congo office is mostly funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The United Nations health agency is still having trouble holding those responsible for sexual abuse and exploitation in the Congo to account. During the Ebola response, a panel commissioned by the WHO discovered at least 83 offenders, including at least 21 WHO employees. Thirteen was the youngest known victim.
An AP investigation in May 2021 disclosed that senior WHO management was informed of sexual exploitation occurring during the agency’s attempts to contain Ebola, even as the abuse was taking place, but they took no action to put a stop to it. Not a single top manager—including a few who knew about the mistreatment during the outbreak—was let go.
The WHO internal documents highlight that it has disclosed information about 16 suspected perpetrators of sexual abuse and exploitation who were associated to the WHO during the Ebola outbreak with the Congolese authorities after years of pressure.
Another Congolese woman claimed she was forced to have sex with a staff member in order to obtain employment during the outbreak, but she felt the WHO hadn’t gone far enough in policing its citizens. She completed a baking course and was awarded $250 by the WHO as well.
Denise, 31, stated, “They promised to show us evidence that this has been taken care of, but there has been no follow-up.”
Five employees have reportedly been fired for sexual misbehaviour since 2021, according to the WHO.
But tremendous mistrust still exists in Congo.
The 24-year-old Audia told the AP that she became pregnant after a WHO representative made her have sex in order to hire her during the pandemic. As a result, she now has a 5-year-old daughter and, after completing baking and tailoring courses, received a “very insufficient” $250 from WHO.
In the war-torn eastern Congo, where inadequate resources and infrastructure mean that any emergency response mainly depends on outside support from the WHO and others, she fears what would occur in a future health catastrophe.
She declared, “I can’t put my trust in (WHO) anymore.” “It’s irresponsible when they leave you in such difficulties and don’t do anything.”
