Breaking the Code: Building Capacity to Investigate Sexual Abuse and Exploitation by Humanitarian Workers Evaluating ICVA’s Building Safer Organizations Project

Following reports of sexual exploitation of refugees in West Africa in 2001 and in Nepal in 2003, the UN Secretary General issued a Bulletin in October 2003 obliging UN agencies and their nongovernmental partners to prevent, and when suspected, to investigate any sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (SEA) by humanitarian staff. Humanitarian organizations, galvanized by the reports of refugee abuse, began adopting and revising Codes of Conduct and other related policies.

Following the pilot trainings, International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) invited the Women’s Refugee Commission to undertake an evaluation of the program, the results of which are contained in this report.