Report Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Humanitarian Workers
Sexual exploitation is any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes.
Sexual abuse is any actual or threatened sexual activity carried out by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
In line with the United Nations standards of conduct, the staff members of UNHCR and NGO partners must not:
- Have sexual activity with anyone in exchange for money, employment, preferential treatment, goods or services,
- Have sexual activity with anyone under the age of 18 years old,
- Engage in any other form of sexually humiliating, degrading or exploitative behaviour.
If you are aware of, or have concerns or suspicions about a possible case of sexual exploitation and abuse by a UNHCR, UN or NGO staff member, please report this directly to the Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at UNHCR Headquarters:
- Email: [email protected]
- Confidential fax: +41 22 739 7380
- Mail: UNHCR, 94 Rue de Montbrillant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
In your report, you should include:
- What happened?
- Describe in detail what you know about the incident or incidents.
- Who committed the alleged wrongdoing?
- Do you know if anyone else was involved? Please provide full names, job titles and organization, if possible.
- When and where did the incident or incidents occur?
- Please include dates and times, if possible.
- Your report will be treated with discretion and kept strictly confidential.
Report Fraud or Corruption
All humanitarian assistance is provided free of charge. Paying for assistance will not make you eligible for assistance. Be aware that any UNHCR services offered to you in exchange for money are fraudulent.
What is misconduct?
The United Nations defines misconduct as “any failure by a staff member to comply with his or her obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, the Staff Regulations and Staff Rules or other administrative issuances, or to observe the standards of conduct expected of an international civil servant.”
Fraud, corruption and sexual exploitation and abuse are considered misconduct, whether by UNHCR personnel or partner staff.
Be alert to fraud
- Do not trust anyone or any organization asking you to pay for the services of UNHCR or its partners.
- Ask to see official ID cards of people claiming to be service providers before sharing your personal information and identify documents.
- Avoid those offering you resettlement, financial or other kind of assistance, fake documents, or fake claims in exchange for money or other favours. These offers may be made to you in person or via social media (including Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram or any other application).
- Those seeking to take advantage of your situation may show you false documents to persuade you that they are connected to UNHCR or another agency.
For reliable information about UNHCR’s work and services: consult UNHCR’s official websites (ending in unhcr.org).
Report suspected fraud and misconduct
If you are aware of, or have concerns or suspicions about a possible case of misconduct related to UNHCR, you can report directly to:
UNHCR North Macedonia: [email protected]
UNHCR Inspector General’s Office (IGO) at UNHCR Headquarters:
Email: [email protected]
Confidential fax: +41 22 739 7380
Mail: UNHCR, 94 Rue de Montbrillant, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Your report will be treated with discretion and kept strictly confidential. See here for more information.