Publisher
Save the Children UK
UNHCR
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This publication is a report of a joint UNHCR/ Save the Children UK assessment that was conducted from 22 October to 30 November 2001 in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. The assessment looked at the scope and nature of sexual violence and exploitation of refugee and displaced children in the sub-region. It considered the extent of the phenomenon, its causes and consequences, as well as recommendations for future action.

The assessment found that sexual exploitation of refugee children in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone was very extensive and mainly took the form of casual informal encounters between the exploiter and the child. In most of the cases, the victims of the sexual exploitation were girls aged 13-18, with girls from single parent/adult households, separated and unaccompanied children, children from child-headed households, orphans, and girls who are street traders/or whose mothers are street traders being particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The assessment found that the perpetrators were almost exclusively men, often from the community and who occupied positions of status and power. The prime perpetrators included local and international NGOs workers as well as UN staff. The study documented allegations against 42 agencies, involving 67 individuals. Other significant perpetrators included security and military forces including international and regional peacekeepers, national forces and police units. The report ends with recommendations for agencies working in the three countries, governments and donors.  

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Safeguarding Essentials