Sexual abuse, exploitation and harassment is a reality in the aid workplace and affects both beneficiaries and aid personnel. Humanitarian organisations have a duty of care to provide a safe working environment for their staff and to ensure that effective safeguarding mechanisms are in place. They also have a duty of care to respond to incidents of sexual violence against their staff. Sexual violence in all its forms violates human rights, and these incidents are deeply distressing for the survivor, their family, their colleagues and the whole aid community. Sexual violence incidents also have the potential to leave survivors with lifelong physical and mental health problems.


When responding to a report of an incident of sexual violence by a member of staff, a survivor-focused approach should be taken. Aid agencies should aim to prevent, be prepared and respond to incidents of sexual violence against their staff.

Quick Links

Mobile Guide

A 10-minute guide on how to take action, report, and get support when sexual violence and abuse happens to you or a colleague. This mobile guide is available in the following languages: Arabic, English, French, Polish, Russian and Ukrainian.

Mulitmedia

Preventing and Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Private Security Operations

Preventing and Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Private Security Operations

Lisa Reilly shares some of the lessons the NGO sector has learned about managing sexual violence, and discusses how others in the private sector and beyond can learn from them. Listen here

Protection of Humanitarian Action Series: Duty of Care and Sexual Violence

Protection of Humanitarian Action Series: Duty of Care and Sexual Violence

This podcast brings together experts and practitioners and discusses the duty of care for humanitarian organisations, and the challenges of implementing it in practice. Listen here

Sexual Violence: Ensuring Lessons are Learned While Remaining Survivor-Focused

Sexual Violence: Ensuring Lessons are Learned While Remaining Survivor-Focused

Listen to Megan Nobert – Founder and Former Director of Report the Abuse – share her advice on how NGOs should respond if a member of staff reports an incident of sexual violence.

Report Abuse

Report abuse in the public healthcare response in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Our reporting platforms are aimed towards individuals who are working in public health response in the DRC and who have experienced sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment by aid workers also working within that health response.


Report abuse in the aid workplace. This online reporting tool is aimed towards international and national staff working in the aid sector who have experienced sexual harassment and abuse in their workplace. Find out more about “Report Abuse” by looking through this presentation. You might want to open it in a window.

Help spread the word about our reporting platforms by talking about. Feel free to download the presentation and to use it in your own talks. Find out more details on this page.

Expert care

Thrive Worldwide

Thrive Worldwide

For survivors of sexual violence Thrive Worldwide is available to provide medical and psychosocial care. Medical clinics are in London and Nairobi, or telemedicine appointments can be accessed. Psychosocial support is available in a number of countries or can be accessed remotely. They offer counselling in English, French, Arabic, Kiswahili and Spanish. To book an appointment please email: info@thrive-worldwide.org