Themes · Managing sexual violence against aid workers
Report the abuse
How to report sexual violence or abuse by, or against, a member of the humanitarian community, and what an organisation is expected to do once a report is made.
This page describes the route and the obligations. It does not replace an employer's own procedure, which the employer is required to have and to give to staff.
If you are reporting for yourself
You do not have to decide what the incident is before you report it. Whether it is a crime where you are, a disciplinary matter, a safeguarding concern or all three is a question for the organisation to work out after the report, not a test you have to pass to make one.
- Report to any of the routes your organisation publishes. If you do not know them, report to the person you trust most who holds a position of responsibility, and ask them to pass it on. The obligation to pass it on is theirs, not yours.
- You can report without making a formal complaint. A report can be information only, with no request for action, and that is a legitimate choice.
- You can bring someone with you. Most procedures allow a colleague, a friend or a staff representative to be present at every stage.
- You can stop. A report can be withdrawn, and an organisation should not pursue an investigation against the stated wishes of an adult survivor except where someone else is at risk or where it has a legal duty to act.
- You can ask what will be written down, who will see it, and how long it will be kept. Ask before you give the account, not after.
If someone reports to you
- Listen, and do not investigate. Ask only what you need in order to keep the person safe and to pass the report on.
- Do not promise confidentiality you cannot keep. Say what you will have to pass on, and to whom, before they continue.
- Do not ask about clothing, alcohol, previous relationships or why they did not resist. None of it changes what the organisation owes them, and all of it makes the report harder to make.
- Record what you were told in the person's own words, note the time, and pass it on the same day.
- Tell them what happens next and who will contact them, and then make sure that person does.
What the organisation owes
| Area | What is required |
|---|---|
| Immediate safety | Separation of the people involved where needed, changes to accommodation, transport or duty station at the survivor's preference, and no penalty to the survivor for any of it. |
| Medical care | Access to care within the time limits that matter, including emergency contraception, post-exposure prophylaxis and a forensic examination if the survivor wants one. |
| Psychological support | Support that continues for as long as it is needed, and that is not conditional on the contract continuing. |
| Legal options | Information about reporting to the police or the courts, the consequences of doing so where the person is based, and support if they choose that route. The choice is theirs. |
| Confidentiality | Disclosure only to those who need it, and only as far as the investigation requires. Records kept securely and separately from the personnel file. |
| Investigation | A fair process for everyone involved, with a stated timetable, an independent investigator where the organisation cannot credibly investigate itself, and an outcome communicated to the survivor. |
| Afterwards | No retaliation, no informal pressure to leave, and a route to raise it if either happens. |
Reporting a concern about an organisation
Where a report concerns an organisation's own failure to act, the routes above may not be usable. Member agencies of the forum can raise the matter with the secretariat, which will take it to the agency concerned. Where the conduct may amount to a crime, the police in the relevant jurisdiction are the correct route regardless of what the organisation does.
Related
Practical guidance and research on the security of humanitarian staff, for the organisations that send them.