At the end of 2024, several Sudanese women refugees in Chad denounced, as stated at the time, The Associated Presshaving been victims of sexual exploitation in exchange for receiving help from humanitarian workers from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), as well as members of local security forces. Now, after an internal investigation that has lasted “several months”, the NGO has dismissed 18 members of its staff, who will no longer be able to work for MSF, after verifying “59 complaints of misconduct, which included sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse and which affected different job categories, such as contracted staff, day workers, external contractors and suppliers.”
made public this week by Doctors Without Borders, Laura Leyser, Secretary General of MSF International, has recognized “the pain, damage and suffering that the survivors have suffered”. “We deeply regret that this occurred in our programs. We have a responsibility to do everything possible to prevent misconduct and to respond robustly when it occurs,” Leyser said.
Although they have not made public details of the investigation “for reasons of confidentiality, privacy and security of the affected people”, in which it is recognized that “some of the cases of repeated exploitation suggested possible organized sex trafficking”.
Doctors Without Borders also fears, and according to APlet this be just the “tip of the iceberg” as many women refuse to “speak openly.” The matter is even worse because it occurs after the NGO had “allocated additional resources in Chad to combat and prevent abuses”, something that was not achieved.
Following investigations, MSF obtained evidence of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse from both NGO staff and contractors as well as Chadians and Sudanese refugees. Many of them offered food, water or milk in exchange for sex. “Situations of sex in exchange for employment and prostitution of refugees, including minors, were also found.”details APwhich also captures a moment in which several MSF employees toured “an area of a refugee camp looking for girls” while “community leaders imposed a curfew to prevent minors from visiting Doctors Without Borders staff.” At another time, seven refugee girls got into an organization vehicle thinking they were going to a place where water was distributed and construction work was being done. “However – the agency states – they were taken to another place and exposed to sexual abuse and requests for sex.”
The sexual abuses, although mostly directed at Sudanese refugees, also occurred against Chadian employeeswho were threatened with losing their jobs if they did not have sexual relations.
In its statement, MSF explained that “support was offered to identified survivors based on their needs and wishes, which could include referral for psychological or medical care, as well as legal or other support where relevant”. Likewise, they have announced that “corrective measures have been adopted in eastern Chad”, where hundreds of thousands of Sudanese men and women are moving to escape the civil war in their country. There, MSF will strengthen “recruitment and reference checking processes for our locally recruited staff and daily workers; improving staff identification procedures; strengthening reporting mechanisms; strengthening screening efforts in projects; and appointing strengthened human resources.” According to MSF, the investigations in Chad “constitute a concerted effort to understand the investigation, identify deficiencies and take measures to address challenges, reflecting the commitment to proactively address abuses.”
The organization has also recalled that since 2018 it has been collecting and publishing data on “improper conduct” on its website; A year earlier, in 2017, they fired 19 employees after detecting 24 cases of sexual abuse. The Secretary General of MSF International has encouraged “staff, patients and community members to report any misconduct.” “We continue working to ensure that our reporting channels are safe, accessible and reliable”he recalled.
