Sexual violence and abuse are beginning to be recognised as a major problem across the international aid industry. According to the Report the Abuse survey (2018), 86% of aid workers know a colleague who has experienced sexual violence associated with their work. Yet sexual violence in humanitarian settings is rarely reported as a security incident. Aid agencies are not reporting sexual violence numbers.

Insecurity Insight works with 26 partner agencies who share reported security incidents on a confidential basis. This overview document presents available information on cases of sexual violence and abuse against aid workers, as reported by affected individuals or through a confidential interagency sharing mechanism between January 2015 and December 2017.

The available open-source and confidentially shared information is a start in information sharing. It is published here not because it paints an accurate picture of the problem. The low number of reported incidents in 2017 (65) highlights how few cases are reported through existing structures.

This publication is intended to encourage survivors and witnesses to come forward and to encourage debates within aid agencies about the best policies to prevent and respond to cases of sexual violence and abuse.