WRITTEN QUESTION P-0687/02 by Maria Sanders-ten Holte (ELDR) to the Commission. Report by Save the Children about sexual abuse of girls by aid workers in exchange for aid in refugee camps in West Africa.
Date: 2002-03-05
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: ECHO, EU aid, EU financing, West Africa, child, child protection, refugee, sexual violence, the EU's international role

6.2.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 28 E/43

In the safety standards referred to above, cabin lay-out parameters such as seat pitch and others are not
controlled explicitely, but are controlled implicitely by the requirements on evacuation and protection
against head and leg injury during emergency landing.

Like any standard, JAR-25 is periodically adapted to technical progress and changing needs. The Joint
Aviation Authorities dispose therefore of a research budget for the funding of safety related studies. The
study, to which the Honourable Members refer, forms part of a JAA co-ordinated research programme on
cabin safety.

The study concerned evaluates seating conditions in the light of current population body dimensions with
a view to the emergency landing requirements referred to above.

As long as the future aviation safety agency has not yet become operational, standardisation is still being
carried out by the JAA. The Commission is therefore of the opinion that it is in the first place for the
experts of the JAA to evaluate the study results and to decide whether amendments to the JAR-25 standard
are required or not. It does therefore not plan to propose a regulation on seat spacing itself, but prefers to
deal with the results of the study through a modification, if needed, of the mandatory safety standard
JAR-25. The Commission regards the subject of the study an important safety element and will follow the
work by the JAA closely.

After the aviation safety agency will have become operational in the near future, aircraft and its parts and
appliances will be certified by the agency under application of airworthiness specifications proposed by the
Commission upon recommendation by the Agency, and adopted by the Commission according to the
regulatory committee procedure.

(1) OJ L 373, 31.12.1991.

(2003/C 28 E/048)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0687/02

by Maria Sanders-ten Holte (ELDR) to the Commission

(5 March 2002)

Subject: Report by Save the Children about sexual abuse of girls by aid workers in exchange for aid in

refugee camps in West Africa

On 27 February, Reuters and The Guardian reported that in camps in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,
refugee children are in many cases being sexually abused in exchange for aid. This has emerged from an
extensive investigation by Save the Children. Nearly 70 people were identified as culprits in 1 500
interviews.

Is the Commission aware of this report?

Does the Commission know whether the alleged offenders include anybody who is involved in aid from
the European Union and/or who is paid from EU funds? If so, which organisations do they belong to and
what measures will be taken?

How does the Commission propose to prevent such excesses in future?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(27 March 2002)

The Commission has been made aware of the report following the announcement in the media. However,
this is the first time the specific issue has been brought to its attention. In general terms, the Commission
is aware of the desperate plight of refugees and the fact that they are vulnerable to abuses of various kinds.
This is why it stresses the importance of protection activities in the refugee camps. In this context, it has
consistently argued for a stronger international presence in the camps. The issue is regularly raised by the
Commission in the discussions with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and
other partners.

C 28 E/44

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

6.2.2003

As far as the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) is concerned as a funding agency, it does not deliver aid
directly to beneficiaries. The humanitarian aid it provides is channelled through operational partner
agencies (United Nations (UN), Red Cross and non-governmental organisations (NGOs)).

The Commission has not yet seen an official list of the 40 organisations allegedly involved. It could be that
some of its partners are among them.

If it is shown that partner organisations have employed staff who have demanded sexual favours in return
for humanitarian assistance, the Commission would expect the partner to dismiss those proved to have
been involved immediately, and to report the matter to the local criminal authorities.

An inadequate reaction from the partner will lead the Commission to reconsider its funding arrangements
with that partner.

Furthermore, ECHO has instructed its field experts in the region to contact partners urgently, with a view
to ascertaining the extent of the problem and to discuss practical ways of tackling it.

In the field of humanitarian aid, the Community develops its action through ECHO, whose modus
include a well defined pre-screening procedure for all organisations chosen as project
operandi
implementers. This screening procedure will
the Framework Partnership
Agreement. The screening and selection procedure of implementing organisations obeys to very strict,
precise and predefined rules.

lead to the signature of

In this context, ECHO consistently stresses to its partners the importance of staff training and ensuring the
best possible supervision of aid distribution in refugee camps using qualified staff.

This is reflected in Article 15(1) of the Framework Partnership Agreement currently in force between
ECHO and the vast majority of its NGOs’ partners, which states:

… The humanitarian organisation shall be responsible for the conduct of its staff, which must
conform to the laws, rules and customs of the country in which the operation is located in as far as
the obligations arising from these are not in contradiction with the obligations which arise from
international law …

Partners are, therefore, under a contractual obligation to ensure proper staffing.

Should the situation arise where a partner manifestly fails to take action to stamp out sexual abuse by its
employees, ECHO could invoke Article 31.1 of the Framework Partnership Agreement which states:

ECHO reserves the right to suspend, terminate or cancel,
Framework Partnership Contract and/or
organisation in the event of serious breaches of the contractual obligations.

in writing, with immediate effect, the
the operation contract signed with the humanitarian

The obligation being breached, in this case would be the one set out in the aforementioned Article 15(1).

Any failure by a partner to ‘put its house in order’ in this respect would clearly have repercussions on
future humanitarian funding decisions by ECHO.

The alleged events in West Africa underline the need to continue to discuss concepts of quality and
performance. It should be stressed that anything possible should be done to ensure full protection of
vulnerable refugees. It is a collective responsibility in which we all have to contribute.