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Letter to UN High Commission for Refugees from Black Women's Rape Action Project, Legal Action for Women and Women Against Rape Ruud Lubbers Anne Dawson-Shepard 21 June 2002 Dear Ruud Lubbers and Anne-Dawson-Shepard, Like many people, we are deeply distressed and sickened to read about the "extensive sexual exploitation" of refugee children and young girls by UN "peacekeepers", aid workers, NGOs and community leaders" from over 40 agencies in West Africa ("Aid workers in food for child sex scandal" The Guardian, 27 February 2002). We understand that a joint UNHCR and Save the Children internal report reveals how refugee children are forced to give sexual favours in return for food rations, shelter, education and medicine. It is an obscenity that refugee girls who have already suffered violence and war, the loss of family, friends and home, face the torture of rape and sexual abuse in order not to starve. Those responsible for these children’s welfare are instead raping and abusing them - it seems, with impunity. Many people will be horrified that their donations given to help save lives should have funded child abuse. The Guardian states that the report was commissioned "in response to numerous reports of child abuse by aid workers". One anonymous aid worker is quoted saying that "people have known about these abuses for months", and another that "everyone knows these things are common, but they always cover them up". For reports to have come (so far) from three countries, naming 40 agencies and 67 individuals, means that it is not credible to suggest, as the report seems to, that Western employees didn’t know or were not involved in this abuse. Either key senior staff knew what was happening or they were criminally negligent of their responsibilities. Either way, the full extent of this child abuse must be publicly exposed and all those responsible brought to justice. International agencies must not allow their Western employees to escape prosecution by promoting a racist version of events that only "locally-employed staff" are responsible. The report says that "peacekeepers are among the highest payers for sex in the region." This suggests an organised business to provide soldiers with sex. Yet children describe being forced to have sex for a biscuit. Who was profiting from their rape? Who were the soldiers paying? Who was organising it? In addition to the above points we would like to know the following:
Children and young people are particularly vulnerable to rape and physical and other attack because they are dependent on others and often not believed when they complain. Yet despite this well-known fact and despite the extensive and detailed nature of the reports, a UNHCR spokesman is already trying to throw doubt on the credibility of the children’s reports by saying "there will be an investigation but these are allegations made by children which are maybe unsubstantiated." This person is clearly not to be trusted to be involved in any way in the care of children or any vulnerable people and should be immediately removed. The scandal of child abuse in refugee camps has emerged just as the UK government is discussing the introduction of "Accommodation, induction and removal" centres in its new Nationality, Immigration & Asylum Bill. The accommodation centres would house families with children (in disused military sites or foot & mouth dumps), who would be denied access to schools and nurseries, extending in an unprecedented way punitive sanctions against asylum seekers to their children. Women living in hostels already report that the government’s anti-asylum policies have fuelled the most horrendous racism from staff who feel that they will not be called to account for their abuse of asylum seekers. The scandal of the widespread sexual and other abuse of children in care homes here in the UK should warn anyone that detaining children in conditions where they are cut off from the outside world is likely to leave them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation from unscrupulous guards and others in authority. Yet these proposals have not been vigorously condemned by the UNHCR or others representing asylum seekers.On the contrary, Home Secretary David Blunkett referred during the Bill’s second reading to "the gateway that we are establishing with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [which] will enable those who face persecution to apply for, and to be granted, such status from outside the country". What and where are these "gateways"? What justification is there for being involved in this deliberate attempt to prevent or deter people from seeking asylum? It is blatantly clear that women (and men) fleeing rape and other torture by military or police will not be able to make a claim to the authorities in their home country. To do so would put them at risk of further torture, reprisals or even murder. Rather than address the root causes of why so many people are forced to flee persecution, the government attempts to keep people’s tragedy and distress out of sight and they hope out of mind. How can the UNHCR claim to have refugees’ interests at heart if you co-operate with this brutal and life threatening policy?Along with millions of people worldwide, we expect and demand that those responsible for the sexual abuse of refugee children are prosecuted and imprisoned: not only the abusers, but all those who have "looked the other way." Otherwise a clear signal is sent that rapists are allowed to act with impunity, especially when children are their victims. Assigning female staff and increasing security does not guarantee the protection of children and young girls from those they depend on for their very survival, with no chance of escape. This abuse is also so widespread that it cannot be isolated to girls and young women. Other children, women and men must also be suffering at the hands of these officials. This must also be investigated. All the victims of this appalling abuse must be compensated for their ordeals. We and many others who feel equally strongly about this cannot allow the UN or any of the agencies involved to do as the Catholic Church and other institutions have done, that is, to ignore, bury or condone the abuse of children in order to protect their own reputation or individuals’ careers. We urge you to treat this as a matter of urgency and look forward to an early response. Yours sincerely, Cristel Amiss Niki Adams Sian Evans cc Mike Aaronson, Director General, Save the Children |