Bunia, Democratic Republic of the Congo—Every few days, Esperance Ayikoro walks through the bustling Cinquantenaire Market in Bunia, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s eastern Ituri Province, stopping to speak with women selling food and household items. The conversations are not about bargaining over prices, but about dignity, safety and their right to be protected from or to report abuse during the ongoing Ebola response.
“The reason we are on the ground today discussing with women and girls is because of the inappropriate behaviour that aid workers sometimes display within the community,” says Ayikoro, the coordinator of a local women’s organization, COSCES. “We have a large number of aid workers in the city of Bunia and in Ituri province at the moment. So we are raising awareness within the community so that they be informed and eventually can speak out against inappropriate behaviour from aid workers.”
COSCES, a collective of civil society organizations, has been working to prevent sexual harassment and abuse in the education, health and agriculture sectors for 15 years. COSCES is among the local partners with whom the World Health Organization (WHO) is working to integrate the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (PSEAH) throughout the response.
For Ayikoro, trust is reinforced when communities work with people they know. “When community members realize that we are working through local organizations they know well, they open up. They give us their attention and trust and listen and talk about their preoccupation within the community,” she says.
The approach reflects lessons learned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s 2018 – 2020 Ebola outbreak, when reports of sexual exploitation and abuse prompted sweeping reforms within WHO. The Organization has adopted a zero-tolerance policy—not only for acts of sexual misconduct, but also for failing to prevent, report or respond to abuse, and for any retaliation against survivors or whistleblowers. The policy applies to WHO personnel as well as all implementing partners and suppliers.
Just two days after the declaration of the Ebola outbreak, WHO deployed its PSEAH coordinator in the field. WHO also worked closely with the government to develop a four-point response plan focusing on prevention, survivor support, community engagement and coordination. Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment is a shared responsibility by all humanitarian and development actors. In the ongoing response, WHO is supporting training, community feedback and confidential, accessible and inclusive complaints mechanisms.
In all affected provinces, all WHO personnel receive mandatory PSEAH training, while communities are being informed about their rights through outreach campaigns and a toll-free reporting hotline.
“Protection against exploitation and sexual abuse is fundamental in order to maintain the confidence of the communities we serve,” says Nina Neema, a PSEAH expert with WHO.
Awareness sessions have been held in the affected provinces and PSEAH teams established in Beni, North Kivu Province, Miti Murhesa in South Kivu Province, Buta in Bas-Uélé Province, Kabongo in Tshopo Province and in Mongbwalu, where the outbreak first began.
Back at the Cinquantenaire market in Bunia, market trader Josephine holds a long conversation with Esperance Ayikoro, who explains why the PSEAH team is here, and how to report any misconduct in the field.
“This information will help us better protect our children. It helps us better understand these issues, and we have a hotline number to report complaints,” Josephine says.
Prevention is key to outreach messaging, which addresses both men and women, and focal points are being trained across health zones to strengthen and sustain state capacity.
Yolande Lokela, a WHO PSEAH expert, says preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment must be at the heart of all public health interventions: “As a leading public health organization, WHO is at the forefront of promoting a zero-tolerance policy, as this is genuine public health challenge.”
