Sexual Violence Among Humanitarian Aid Workers

• In Event: Aiding and Abetting: The Role of Non-Combatants in Conflict Zones

Abstract

Increasing research on humanitarian communities investigates how the nature of their work affects humanitarian workers’ personal lives and vice versa, especially with regards to issues such as mental health and sexual violence. The #MeToo movement has brought to light undeniable patters of sexual violence in crisis zones perpetrated by humanitarian aid workers; allegations reveal an undeniable trend of predominantly male-identified humanitarians perpetrating sexual violence against both their fellow aid workers and the communities they purport to serve.

How does sexual violence endure in communities ostensibly governed by strong principles, professional codes of conduct, and oversight? This project draws on a textual analysis of 14 humanitarian workers’ memoirs as well as participant observation in ex-patriot leisure spaces and interviews with humanitarian aid workers in Iraq and Uganda between 2016 and 2020. We argue that informal socialization practices, gendered and raced employment structures, and “pressure cooker” environments normalize certain forms of sexual harassment and violence while labeling them “how things are done.” Geographic location, the security environment (e.g., active conflict versus not), and national origin differentiate the humanitarian experience, even within postings. While contributing to a growing body of work on the politics of sexual violence, this research also stands to help humanitarian organizations better protect their employees as well as beneficiaries; repair their reputations; and rebuild trust with communities, as issues that are central to their ability to effectively deliver aid.

Authors

• Sarah E. Parkinson, Johns Hopkins University

• Valerie de Koeijer, Johns Hopkins University

• Sofia Inez Smith, Nothing