This is the most famous sex scandal in the organization's history.
In Congo, more than 100 women have reported being sexually abused by WHO staff working in the country during the Ebola outbreak. The organization paid the injured women $250.
Associated Press reports.
Gai Gamhewage, who leads WHO's efforts to prevent sexual violence, traveled to Congo in early 2023 to deal with the most notorious sex scandal in the organization's history.
During her visit, Gamhewage met one of the victims who gave birth to a child with “developmental disabilities requiring special medical treatment.” This means even more expense for a new mother in Congo, one of the poorest countries in the world.
WHO paid 250 dollars. at least 104 women in Congo who allege sexual abuse or exploitation by the organization's workers. To receive cash, women had to take training courses designed to help them start “income-generating activities.”
It is noted that many women in the Congo who have been subjected to sexual violence have still not received any payments. As the WHO explained in a confidential document in October, about a third of the victims “could not be found.” About 10 more women refused the offer of monetary “compensation.”
What does the amount of 250 dollars mean to a resident of Congo?
One-time payment to women from Congo in the amount of $250. – less than the daily expenses of some UN workers in this country.
However, this amount covers typical living expenses in the Congo for less than four months. Note that in this African state many survive on less than $2.15. in a day.
Let us recall that the media reported several years ago that specialists from a number of humanitarian organizations working in the Congo during the Ebola epidemic raped local women and provided them with work in exchange for sex.
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