And equally obviously it shouldn’t:
More than 50 women have accused aid workers from the World Health Organization and leading NGOs of sexual exploitation and abuse during efforts to fight Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In interviews, 51 women – many of whose accounts were backed up by aid agency drivers and local NGO workers – recounted multiple incidents of abuse, mainly by men who said they were international workers, during the 2018 to 2020 Ebola crisis.
The majority of the women said numerous men had either propositioned them, forced them to have sex in exchange for a job or terminated contracts when they refused.
Blokes with financial power will do this. As will women looking for resources – well, what description, give in, accept, be oppressed?
This though does seem just a tad over the top:
…either propositioned them….Some women said they were plied with drinks….
Err, yes?
“Some women were cooks, cleaners and community outreach workers hired on short-term contracts, earning $50 to $100 (£40 to £80) a month – more than twice the normal wage”.
So, the UN is overpaying for staff, which means someone, somewhere is going to extract some value for that. Could be a little work on their home at weekends, could be a personal bribe, could be sex.
The women got paid for having sex. The alternative was to take a lower paid job that was just being a cook, but a few of them liked the extra money. But of course, very few women will be honest and say they were willing whores.
All aid, and particularly UN aid, is rife with sexual exploitation. Bangladesh finds supplying troops for peacekeeping a nice earner, and the troops are eager for the perks.
I’m not the one insisting on all this foreign aid nonsense. Indeed I assure you that I’d much rather spend all my money on myself.
I don’t think men ought to be doing this, but I don’t feel strongly about it. You send young men off to a foreign land without their wives, what else do you think it going to happen?
What I do feel strongly about is the threat to the job. They can do this with their own money. They should not be allowed to do it with *my* money. Aid money should go to pay the most efficient cook or cleaner or whatever. It should not go to a sub-optimal one who happens to give good blow jobs.
What I feel less strongly about is that it should not take place in the public arena of the work place. People should have the right to go to work without being propositioned. That should take place at an appropriate time and in an appropriate place.
Otherwise, if it makes the Guardian upset it might not be all bad.
The Ebola crisis was where again? Ah, an area that’s the pinnacle of Wokeness worldwide..
Just another shakedown. There’s no coercion involved, I bet that every woman ‘propositioned’ jumped at the chance to make significant amounts of money (by their standards) by shagging a Western bloke. Now that this behaviour has been declared to be a ‘bad thing’ they’re jumping on the next gravy train that steams into view, the ‘compensation for my freely made life choices’ one that women seem to excel at getting on.
Dear Mr Worstall
“mainly by men who said they were international workers”
So, not necessarily men who were actually working for the WHO or whomever? Just said they were. If so, how is this the fault of the WHO or whomever?
DP