As mentioned last week, the BBC World News programme discussed the topic of mental health for aid workers. I was asked to provide statistics to support the segment, which were taken from research in my book. The below figures highlight the need for organisations to implement a good trauma management programme and best practice psychosocial support:
Programme guest Michael Bociurkiw, a global affairs analyst, agrees that these statistics are shocking in themselves and that organisations are not doing enough to support their staff on the front line. There are more conflicts happening and people jump from one placement to another without any time off, compounding already overworked and stressed staff. Donors need to press organisations to support staff, giving them enough funds so people can have time off to recuperate and get access to much-needed counselling. Watch the full interview below.
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Another damming report today on sexual exploitation and sexual violent crime taking place within the aid sector, by the Victoria Derbyshire BBC programme. We need to create channels to address these issues and to enable staff to feel safe talking about their experiences openly. Sexual violence has been described as entrenched and endemic within the humanitarian aid sector. Many have reported that perpetrators are often male figures in senior positions, which leaves staff feeling disempowered from speaking out and reporting. Staff describe a culture of scapegoating those who speak out, lack of psychosocial support for those impacted, and lack of sufficient and appropriate policies. Could this be defined as the final catastrophe of mission creep? Many individuals responded to today’s report defending and protecting the humanitarian sector and highlighting the great work that is being done. There is no question that fundamental and crucial work is carried out on a daily basis, often at the risk of the aid worker, within the humanitarian sector, but at no point should that overlook, or distract our attention from the cold harsh reality that sexual abuse is taking place within the aid sector. Any form of sexual abuse has always been an uncomfortable subject, and many want to turn a blind eye, as it can stir up difficult emotions. It is not a stain on the humanitarian sector, as we know this type of abuse happens in any profession that deals with power imbalances and vulnerable people, in fact these working environments can become a breeding ground for perpetrators if these issues are not addressed appropriately. So let us not be distracted by the shock factor, and get lost in debates about the good that is accomplished, or condemn the humanitarian organisations by reducing their funding. Let us address these issues as fully as possible, so the lens can be readjusted back to the remarkable work the aid sector continues to accomplish. We need to support staff better, to enable them to feel safe and resilient within their workplace, not violated, exploited and frightened to speak out. An aid worker who went on her first deployment, was informed that ‘you will witness UN staff taking prostitutes into their hotel rooms, this happens, so turn a blind eye’! We cannot turn a blind eye to those suffering. This leaves a bad taste in the wide, diverse and hungry mouth of the humanitarian aid sector. Three professionals were interviewed about this topic on the Victoria Derbyshire programme this morning, Shaista Aziz (a previous aid worker), Alexia Pepper De Caires (Campaigner for women’s rights in aid sector), and Carl Wilding (National Council for Voluntary Organisations). Shaista opened the conversation stating ‘as someone who has worked in the sector for over 15 years I came across these masochistic cultures. Patriarchy is at the heart of this and power. Bartering for sex is about power and abuse.’ Shaista created an NGO safe place, which enables aid workers to tell their stories anonymously. She shared that they had received 80 reports within a two-week period, the majority from women, and a few from men. She also went on to state that these organisations should not be investigating themselves and therefore an independent body should be setup to carry out these investigations. Alexia agreed with this point stating, ‘The culture has not made it easy for any of us to talk about what we’ve experienced. The organisations are not open to us revealing the extent of the problems. This is the tip of the iceberg… The organisations are taking a line now that they have zero tolerance; it is very hard to believe…. We are not seeing the change and the transformation and the belief of women at the core of this.’ Carl added to this discussion, ‘we don’t have a sufficient culture yet, where people feel they can come forward and talk about these issues.’ So continuing to hold in our minds the amazing work the humanitarian sector do to support those who are disempowered, and holding our respect to the dedicated and passionate staff, how does the humanitarian sector address, as one colleague put it, ‘the dark side of the coin’. Below are some of the suggested solutions:
The #Metoo campaign has created a virtual community, empowering survivors of sexual abuse to speak out. The last thing we want to do is silence these courageous voices that have taken decades to be heard. Fiona Dunkley's new book has been described as 'the only source that explores the impact of trauma and critical incidents on aid workers, including sexual violence' and 'the book examines the impact of cumulative stress and trauma on the aid worker and provides practical actions to offer recovery and healing.' Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers, is available from Amazon. References https://www.eisf.eu/theme/managing-sexual-violence/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06bppxy #VictoriaLIVE #metoo #humanitarianaid #sexualabuse #sexualexploitation So much has happened recently that feels like progress when it comes to ensuring the right of people to live free from abuse. Millions of people across the world have harnessed the power of social media to demand an end to sexual violence and harassment against individuals using hashtags such as #MeToo, #AidToo, #TimesUp, #YouOkSis, #SayHerName, #MosqueMeToo, #23Days, #OneBillionRising and #EverydaySexism. Powerful figures, from Hollywood film producers to senior politicians and humanitarian aid bosses, have been named and shamed for crimes such as sexual misconduct, assault and child abuse. In the United States, more than US$20 million has been raised to establish a Time’s Up legal defence fund for lower-income women seeking justice for workplace sexual harassment and assault. This year should finally see the first steps towards the implementation of an international legal standard to help prevent, identify and remedy violence in the workplace, with a strong focus on the gender. But what is Gender Based Violence (GBV)? This is defined as any harmful act against an individual due to their gender, male or female, often motivated by power or control, all forms of sexual abuse, sexual harassment, domestic violence, honour killings, forced marriage, genital mutilation etc. The majority of perpetrators are male; although research shows male survivors are much less likely to report these crimes. Those who speak out against the physical, sexual, psychological and economic harm they endure often pay a terrible price. Victims face slurs, shame, can be ostracised from the community and education, experience a loss of income, more violence and even loss of life. For every woman or man that has shared her/his story on social media, there are thousands more for whom silence was the only option. In England I have witnessed and supported individuals at the Crown Court, but the percentage of cases that even make it this far is so miniscule we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg. So why is this happening? Any sector which supports vulnerable individuals can become a breeding ground for GBV due to several factors such as an imbalance of power (gender, beneficiaries), an inbred macho culture (risk behaviours - running on adrenaline), and being in confined environments. What can we do to stop GBV? Megan Norbert is at the forefront of creating change. She has recently been presented with the @InterActionOrg's Humanitarian Award for her work to end silence on sexual violence against aid workers. She's a gender-based violence in emergencies specialist with CARE. Megan shared her story with me for my recently published book, Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers: A Roadmap of Trauma and Critical Incident Care, buy your copy today click here One point I make in the book is if you don’t know how to support a colleague who may have just experienced a sexual violent crime you need further training. It is essential for preventing retraumatising individuals, and there is an urgency with much of the support due to timelines of forensic data collection. It is important individuals are well informed as it can make a huge difference to someone’s recovery. The initial stages of support are often the most crucial in someone’s recovery. Organisations need to create a culture of accountability and ensure follow up on reports and care to the trauma survivor is given in a timely and suitable fashion. In-country teams need to receive full training to know how to support each other and the care-givers in their teams. How can we empower people to speak out safely? What do organisations need to do? The only way we are going to change systematic ignorance of GBV is to ensure organisations, companies and NGOs have transparency, working collaboratively so perpetrators cannot be moved from one agency to another; this obviously ties into more stringent vetting and recruitment procedures. All organisations need to ensure they have whistleblowing policies in place, that they are promoted internally and a culture of sharing feelings and cases of GBV so that they are not swept under the carpet. FD consultants are working collaboratively with Care International by offering individual and group support sessions - lets hope more organisations follow their lead. This ties in with continually reviewing safeguarding policies and making them a priority within the organisation. Sadly, I have worked with many organisations where safeguarding is seen as a low priority (RtA found that only 16% of 92 organisations reviewed mentioned sexual violence in their duty of care policies). Organisations need to be aware of local protocols and laws; as well as consider if the survivor needs to be relocated for better care. I am often shocked at how little information organisations have about areas where they are deploying staff. Better support for Survivors Fundamentally our care and support for survivors of GBV needs to improve. Organisations need to have clear policies in place that are implemented as soon as a case of GBV is reported, with immediate medical care for the survivor, as well as providing access to counselling services. After the initial support organisations should offer legal support and follow up with the survivor to ensure they are not retraumatised and are receiving the care they require and have every right to. Here at FD Consultants we are passionate about training the carers and NGOs and have developed a Sexual violence awareness course to enable participants to better protect themselves against the threat of sexual violence and be better placed to respond in the event of an incident occurring. We strive to define sexual violence, challenge myths and build skills to support a colleague after a sexual violent crime. The true power of the #MeToo moment will lie in our ability to harness this rare, sustained global attention on the issue of gender-based violence to support the work of the grassroots activists, community-based organisations, journalists, academics, trade unions, NGOs and social movements who were doing this work well before the hashtags started trending and will continue doing it long after they stop. Their work needs to be well-funded and widely supported but it also requires the proper legal framework. That’s why the proposed International Labour Organization (ILO) instrument on Violence and Harassment against Women and Men in the World of Work is so important. There are currently 189 ILO conventions setting out basic principles and rights at work; not one of them focuses on gender-based violence. It is time to create a culture of zero tolerance, it is time for change. References
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