The World Health Organisation has expressed outrage at the recent reports of sexual misconduct by members of its Ebola response team in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
51 women accused Ebola aid workers from the WHO and other leading Non-Governmental Organisations of sexual exploitation and abuse in the DRC according to a recent investigation by the Thomas Reuters Foundation and the New Humanitarian.
The New Humanitarian reported that the majority of women said numerous men had either propositioned them, forced them to have sex in exchange for a job, or terminated their contracts when the refused.
In response, the Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus initiated a thorough review of the specific allegations and broader protection issues in health emergency response.
“The betrayal of people in the communities we serve is reprehensible. We do not tolerate such behaviour in any of our staff, contractors or partners. Who has a zero-tolerance policy with regards to sexual exploitation,” the statement said.