Great Britain is preoccupied this week with the scandal breaking over sexual abuses perpetuated by OXFAM aid workers in Haiti, Chad, Darfur and elsewhere. Students in my class who read Somaly Mam’s book were deeply disturbed that many of the international aid workers in Cambodia were also using prostitutes and engaging in the same behaviors as sex tourists. Clearly the public puts its trust in charities to use donations wisely and to carry out humanitarian work. We just assume that those employed by them are good people. But reports have circulated for years about abuses in the system. The UN has been notoriously show to react to sexual abuse of disaster victims by UN peacekeeping forces. Now, in light of the #MeToo movement, victims are coming forward to talk about similar problems with other international aid agencies. Just today Doctors without Borders stated that they had dealt with 29 cases last year. This is an arena where the conditions for abuse are ever present since you probably have a greater power differential between aid workers and those they try to help (often in extremely impoverished areas torn apart by wars or other disasters) than anywhere else. In thinking about solutions, a commentator on NPR said that unless the survivors of abuse have a voice, reforms will not be likely to occur. What do you think? —Holly Mathews
http://www.elleuk.com/life-and-culture/culture/news/a41664/oxfam-haiti-sex-scandal-allegations/