DRC and 26 million people facing food insecurity: WHO sex scandals to elites siphoning money
Kanako Mita, Sawako Utsumi, and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) need urgent international support. However, while over 26 million people face food insecurity in the DRC, this nation faces two shocking realities.
Firstly, some international humanitarian agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO), are sexually abusing and raping DRC females. This concerns so-called international humanitarian workers and internal humanitarian workers.
Secondly, corrupt elites and individuals within the structures of the DRC are siphoning international aid. Hence, despite international aid being sent to help the most vulnerable in society, internal corruption is making a few people rich while millions suffer. Therefore, an elitist gravy train is siphoning money at the expense of the poor and marginalized who need urgent support.
Concerning the latest WHO sex scandal, the Modern Tokyo Times recently said, “The latest scandal involves WHO workers – and others – exploiting their privilege to sexually abuse women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This concerns internal and international workers who utilize their power and positions during times of utter devastation. Therefore, instead of alleviating the situation for poor women and children, they exploit the situation and sexually abuse people facing enormous hardship.”
The former Chief of Operations at the UN’s Emergency Coordination Center, Andrew MacLeod, said, “He estimated that 60,000 rapes had been carried out by UN staff in the past decade, with 3,300 pedophiles working in the organization and its agencies.”
At the same time, the siphoning of money, rampant corruption, mismanagement, limited accountability, and other negative factors are endangering the most vulnerable people in the DRC. Also, endless corruption will turn donors away despite the dire crisis in the DRC.
In a report by the Congo Research Group, located in New York University (highlighted by the BBC), this research group says, “…only $6m of the $363m Covid funding awarded by the IMF last year has been publicly accounted for.”
The BBC says, “In June the former Health Minister Vital Kamerhe was sentenced to 20 years’ hard labor and barred from holding public office for 10 years, after facing charges of embezzling almost $50m (£39m) of public funds.”
The DRC is blighted by ethnic massacres, countless militias, and Islamist terrorism. Healthwise, the nation suffers from cholera, Covid-19, Ebola, HIV/AIDS, intestinal parasites, malaria, measles, the Plague, tuberculosis, and others. Hence, the military situation, terrorism, and ethnic massacres are leading to vast numbers of internally displaced people. Therefore, food insecurity affects tens of millions of people in the DRC.
According to the United Nations, over 26 million people in the DRC suffer from food insecurity. However, with so many International problems – including Afghanistan, the CAR, Ethiopia, Iraq, Libya, Mozambique, the Sahel region, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen, and many others – then obtaining adequate funding to help people in desperate need in the DRC is problematic.
The international Covid-19 crisis and economic convulsions generated by this pandemic are also straining the budget of international donors.
Hence, sexual abuse scandals by WHO workers and international charities – along with the siphoning of money by corrupt officials and individuals – are making the situation a nightmare for the most vulnerable people in the DRC.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/10/1102632
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-58710200
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