Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse

A female survivor of sexual violence holds a flower to her face,
9 March 2020, Elinya, Kalemie, Democratic Republic of the Congo. A female survivor of sexual violence holds a flower to her face, in the Elinya site for displaced persons. OCHA/Alioune Ndiaye

The involvement of humanitarian workers in acts of sexual exploitation and abuse is a grave violation of our responsibility to do no harm and to protect people affected by crises. OCHA is firmly committed to the global fight to eradicate sexual exploitation and abuse.

In line with the Secretary-General’s Bulletin “Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” (ST/SGB/2003/13), OCHA is strengthening organization-wide policies, systems and practices to align with United Nations and humanitarian system-wide approaches. Standard operating procedures are in place for reporting allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, receipt and handling of SEA complaints and assistance to victims and survivors. PSEA focal points have been established in OCHA offices at headquarters, regional and country levels. 

All staff members must undergo mandatory training on PSEA and must sign a pledge annually to demonstrate their commitment to zero tolerance and mandatory reporting policies, through a campaign launched by the Executive Office in 2021. At the field level, Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) are responsible for ensuring that effective systems are in place for preventing and responding to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse, and OCHA provides support to HCs to this end. HCs’ responsibilities on PSEA are included in their annual compacts, and HCs report regularly to the Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) on the matter. As the Chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the ERC plays a key role in propelling progress on PSEA across the humanitarian system.

IASC members reaffirmed their commitment to collectively strengthen the humanitarian sector approach to protection from sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (PSEAH). In May 2022, the IASC Principals endorsed a five-year Vision and Strategy for 2022−2026. The strategy identifies commitments and time bound targets to embed sustainable and accountable PSEAH actions within all humanitarian contexts and transformative culture change across the sector. It is informed by the 2021 IASC External Review of PSEAH. Actions include measures to strengthen investigative capacity, deploy dedicated inter-agency PSEA Coordinators in the highest risk contexts, share good practices on PSEA and prevent perpetrators from moving between organizations in the sector. The IASC Champion on PSEAH provides leadership and political support to advocate for the strategy, and implementation is supported by the IASC Technical Advisory Group, chaired by OCHA.

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