Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

Preventing and Responding to Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment

View WHO's dashboard into sexual misconduct investigations

 

Tackling Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment 

WHO has zero tolerance for any form of sexual misconduct by any of our workforce. We are taking concrete measures to prevent sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment, and prompt action whenever an allegation of sexual misconduct is raised.

Sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH) within the workforce and the communities we serve is a grave violation of our commitment to do no harm and protect the vulnerable. In the past we have not taken adequate or consistent measures to safeguard from sexual misconduct but are now taking systematic and intensive approaches to reach zero tolerance.

Our current plan of work is outlined in the unified framework in response to the report of the Independent Commission who examined the allegations of SEA in the 10th Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic of Congo.

Together with other United Nations agencies, the UN Special coordinator for SEA, the UN Victims’ Rights Advocate, the InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC), nongovernmental organizations and civil society, we are working to transform our joint commitment to zero tolerance into action in countries and communities.

Whenever possible we listen to the needs and wants of victims and survivors to shape our work.

 

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Sexual exploitation and abuse relates to the behavior of WHO staff and collaborators towards third parties, often referred to as “beneficiary” populations.

Sexual exploitation

Sexual exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including threatening or profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. Sexual exploitation and abuse includes sexual relations with a child (18-years-old or younger), in any context.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment refers to prohibited conduct in the work context and can be committed against UN staff and related personnel. In context of the United Nations, sexual harassment primarily describes prohibited behaviour against another UN staff or related personnel, which may also include nationals of the host state. It is defined for UN staff by ST/SGB/2008/5 and similar directives for uniformed personnel and involves any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favour, verbal or physical conduct or gesture of a sexual nature, or any other behaviour of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offence or humiliation to another, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment.

 

What we do

Our work on the prevention and response to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (PRSEAH) is just beginning. In 2022 we will focus on:

 

Put victims and survivors at the heart of prevention and response

WHO is working to ensure our policies, practices and interventions for prevention, detection and response of SEAH are built around the needs, preferences and rights of people at risk of SEA.

Establish, capacitate and enforce accountability

Every member of the workforce is responsible for reporting sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and our leaders have an added role in creating a respectful environment. We are developing and implementing an accountability framework for preventing and responding to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.

Reform WHO’s culture, structures, systems and capacity

WHO is implementing a strong and multi-disciplinary risk-based approach. We are creating a comprehensive policy framework, changing processes and practices, and expanding partnerships and platforms to create accountability, programmatic and managerial capacity, and oversight.

 

WHO Implementation Plan

This updated Implementation Plan, published in June 2022, outlines the plan to investigate allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation during the response to the 10th Ebola Virus Disease epidemic in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.