§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what(a) assessment her Department has made of safeguards against and (b) discussions she has had with the UNHCR regarding the sexual exploitation of women in refugee camps. [76907]
§ Clare ShortMy Department has closely monitored developments regarding the investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) into allegations of sexual exploitation of refugee women and girls by humanitarian aid workers and peacekeepers in refugee camps in West Africa. While the OIOS report found no involvement by UN HCR staff in acts of sexual952W exploitation, from a total of 43 cases of possible sexual exploitation investigated by the OIOS team 10 cases were substantiated by evidence. This finding confirms that the issue of sexual exploitation is a significant one and that it is not just confined to West Africa—but wherever refugees find themselves in similarly desperate and vulnerable circumstances.
The report crucially identifies several factors which contribute to sexual exploitation in refugee communities including aspects of refugee camp life, camp structure, camp security, food and services distribution, employment opportunities, profiles of camp workers, and the quality and quantities of food and other relief items distributed.
UNHCR has, in partnership with other concerned UN agencies, instituted a number of remedial measures and preventative actions to enhance the prevention and response to sexual and gender-based violence. Specifically, in West Africa these include: increasing the accountability of humanitarian workers through the design of country-specific standards, applicable to all UN agencies and international and local NGOs; raising awareness of rights and entitlements in refugee communities through education and advocacy campaigns; increases in-field presence and improved training in sexual training and gender-based issues for UNHCR staff; improved reporting and monitoring procedures to speed up the identification of victims; building on existing programmes to better facilitate equal access and control of material resources as well as strengthening support to victims and groups at risk.
There exist additional measures which extend to the rest of Africa which, in turn, complement UNHCR's efforts on a global front, specifically the UNHCR Code of Conduct which aims to guide the behaviour and attitude of all UNHCR international and local staff in terms of the standards of conduct that are expected to be adhered to in the UN Charter and the Staff Regulation and Rules.
We will, through our close relationship with UNHCR in the field and through our participation at the Standing and Executive Committees in Geneva, continue to monitor progress on all these fronts.