Aid sector’s #MeToo moment

The year was dominated by allegations of sexual abuse and harassment in the aid sector, and anger at the failure of those in power to believe and support those making them.

It was bookended with charges against the UN. In January, a Guardian investigation revealed a culture of impunity across the organisation, where allegations of assault were ignored or covered up. Claims of abuse were made by employees in several UN bodies, including the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, the World Food Programme and UNAids. Luiz Loures, the deputy executive director at UNAids, who was cleared of wrongdoing in an internal inquiry, resigned. Throughout the year pressure mounted on senior figures within the UN to follow suit, including the executive director of UNAids, Michel Sidibé (below left). In December, a damning independent report into abuse at the agency concluded Sidibé had created “a patriarchal culture tolerating harassment and abuse of authority”. He has agreed to step down in June 2019, six months before the official end of his term in office.

Meanwhile, UK charities had their #MeToo moment. In February, Oxfam was accused of covering up serious sexual misconduct by its aid workers in Haiti. Following the 2010 earthquake, senior Oxfam employees were alleged to have been using local sex workers. Four men were sacked for gross misconduct after an inquiry, while three other men resigned, according to a confidential 2011 report seen by the Times. The Haitian government subsequently withdrew Oxfam’s right to operate in the country. The revelations sparked the disclosure of harassment claims at Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières.

There was particular outrage that staff with a proven record of sexual exploitation were allowed to continue to work in the sector. The British government’s international development committee concluded that charities had shown “complacency verging on complicity”, accusing them of putting their reputations first. In response to the scandals, the government launched a £10m global register that charities can access when carrying out criminal record checks, and held an international safeguarding summit. During the latter, the international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, was confronted on stage by a protester who accused her of failing to give women a voice at the summit.

Yemen



As the war continued into its fourth year, the UN issued a stark warning that up to 13 million people were at risk of starvation unless the fighting ended.

The conflict between the Saudi-led coalition, in support of the government, and Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, has claimed the lives of an estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people, and forced more than 2 million people to flee their homes.

Yemeni humanitarian workers for the Norwegian Refugee Council spoke of the physical and emotional destruction the fighting has brought. “People have been left so desperately poor that they kill themselves before the hunger does,” said water and sanitation officer Marwan Al-Sabri.

“The crisis in Yemen is so huge and of such magnitude, we have to be frank about whether we can together deal with what is facing us,” said Lise Grande (left), the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Yemen. “We are literally looking at hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of people who may not survive.”

Charities, journalists and humanitarian workers have been pushing the UK and US to stop selling weapons to the coalition. Many of these arms have fallen into the hands of splinter groups in Yemen. At the end of November, the Senate voted to advance a measure that would stop all involvement of US armed forces in Yemen, going against Trump’s pro-Saudi stance. Meanwhile, the UK government tabled its UN draft resolution to demand an end to the fighting.

Peace talks began in early December. A ceasefire was agreed in the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.

Academic Alex de Waal has set out why he believes Saudi’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, should be tried in an international court for causing starvation.

Conflict and migration

In August, photographer Nicoló Lanfranchi spent time on the rescue ship Aquarius as it left Marseille on its way to the Libyan coast. The Aquarius was the last civilian migrant rescue ship operating in the Mediterranean.

Four months later, MSF, which operates the ship, announced an end to its operations. Unable to sail without its flag, which had expired, the ship’s crew were accused of dumping toxic waste at sea – a charge denied by MSF, who called it a smear campaign.

Back on land, the suffering of refugees has been a constant theme – from the unsafe and unsanitary conditions in the Moria refugee camp in Lesbos (left, its next-door camp the Olive Grove) and violence meted out to asylum seekers in Croatia to the poor conditions faced by Venezuelan migrants in Colombia and the Eritrean refugees facing kidnap.

The impact of the political, economic and social unrest in Venezuela last year continued into 2018. One unexpected but visible impact of the crisis has been an explosion in malaria cases. As infection rates decline across the world, Venezuela recorded a 69% increase in cases between 2016 and 2017. Cases are also crossing borders as people escape conditions in the country. But those who have fled the unrest are finding little comfort in host countries.

The struggles of migrant children were laid bare after the US president, Donald Trump, issued his zero tolerance policy, which led to children being detained and families separated.

Meanwhile the deadly legacy of the Isis insurgency in Fallujah, Iraq, is landmines. The Halo Trust, a British demining charity, is working to remove them, creating safe routes for people to walk along.

Conflict was one of the reasons for yet another year-on-year increase in global hunger levels. One in nine people wereundernourished in 2017, the UN found. Extreme weather was the leading cause, followed by conflict and economic downturn.

Rohingya

Aung San Suu Kyi’s spectacular fall from grace over her handling of the Rohingya crisis has continued. She was singled out for criticism in a damning UN report that accused the Myanmar military of genocide. She has faced ongoing criticism for her repatriation plans, which have been halted, at least for now, and she has been stripped of honours including Amnesty’s human rights award and the US Holocaust Museum’s Elie Wiesel award, with calls for her Nobel peace prize to be withdrawn.

While politicians debate, the stories of those who have fled continue to haunt. In August, award-winning photographer Robin Hammond reported on the emotional scars that are yet to heal. Travelling to Cox’s Bazar, in Bangladesh, he spoke to those who regularly relive the nightmare of their exodus from Myanmar.

Left, Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh; right, Rohingya wait for the Sittwe to Zaw Pu Gyar train to arrive, in Rakhine state, Myanmar

While more can be done to help these refugees overcome their trauma, organisations are stepping up mental health services in the camps. The NGO Action Against Hunger has a particular focus on reaching teenage boys, who may find it harder than girls and women to talk. Women, however, are facing their own horrors – violence, early marriage and abandonment. The actor Michael Sheen said the situation in the refugee camps spoke to the worst acts of humanity, but also to the staggering amount of hope that exists.

Amid the chaos, refugees spoke of the things that meant most to them. Among the treasures were a dog, a walking stick, education certificates and a daughter who escaped death.

Slavery and trafficking

In June, a Guardian investigation exposed how women in prisons across the US are being recruited by sex traffickers, who then force them into prostitution on their release. Information about the women is being gleaned from government websites.

The investigation found that pimps were also posting bail for women awaiting a court date and, once released, they are told they must undertake sex work or go back to jail.

Elsewhere, we revealed the extent of slavery in the UK, and the likely impact of the British government’s decision to almost halve the financial support it gives to victims of slavery. This came in a year when the resignation of Kevin Hyland, Britain’s first anti-slavery commissioner, cited government interference as a reason for leaving the post.

Meanwhile, it emerged that staff at one of Qatar’s most opulent hotels are paid below the minimum wage and subjected to long working hours, while one in 10 senior politicians in Brazil received campaign donations from companies accused of modern-day slavery. We looked at the devastating persistence of slavery in Mauritania (above left, former slaves Fatimatou and her daughter Mbarka) and heard from people saving trafficked children in India. Anti-slavery charity Unseen launched an app to help people identify signs of slavery.

Girls’ rights

Remarks last year by the president of Tanzania that pregnant girls and young mothers could not continue their education returned to haunt him. In September, the World Bank announced it was withdrawing a $300m (£236m) loan to the country because the policy violated girls’ rights.

Last year, John Magufuli said: “As long as I am president … no pregnant student will be allowed to return to school … After getting pregnant, you are done.” His comments were roundly criticised by humanitarian organisations.

The bank said it “supports policies that encourage girls’ education and make it possible for young girls to study in schools until they reach their full potential”.

Earlier this year, Burundi went a step further than Tanzania, banning pregnant girls and expectant fathers from attending school. In the country, about 7% of girls aged 15 to 19 have at least one child. The ban was reportedly overturned a month later.

Campaigners say children need better sex education and access to modern forms of family planning, particularly as the biggest killer of adolescent girls are complications from pregnancy and unsafe abortion. In Uganda, Suzanne Moore witnessed the toll of young motherhood firsthand when she visited Uganda to report on the country’s teenage pregnancy crisis.

Abortion

Latin American countries have some of the world’s most draconian abortion laws, but in 2018 there were concerted efforts by campaigners to overturn them. The majority of the estimated 6.5m abortions that take place across the continent are unsafe.

Following the overturn of the total ban in Chile in 2017, Argentina became 2018’s key battleground as activists and MPs sought to decriminalise abortion in the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Rallies and demonstrations, attended by hundreds of thousands of people, were held ahead of a senate vote. Ultimately, and with pressure from the Catholic church, the senate rejected the bill after a 15-hour debate.

Attempts to allow elective abortions in Brazil were dealt a blow with the election of Jair Bolsonaro. The conservative president has vowed to veto any move to change the law. Brazil’s supreme court had begun hearings on allowing abortion in the first 12 weeks.

Meanwhile, El Salvador ran out of time to overturn its total ban. A bill to legalise abortion in some circumstances, proposed last year, was not heard before the more liberal legislative deputies ended their three-year tenure, and before the incoming conservative lawmakers took up their posts.

But there was some good news in El Salvador. Two women who were serving 30-year sentences for aggravated murder after they experienced obstetric complications were freed from jail. Maira Verónica Figueroa Marroquín (left) had her sentence commuted after serving 15 years, while Teodora del Carmen Vásquez was freed after serving almost 11 years.

Uruguay has Latin America’s most liberal abortion laws but, even there, stigma persists.

Ebola

In May, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reported cases of Ebola. An experimental vaccine was flown into Kinshasa after reports that the disease was spreading.

Although this outbreak was declared over in July, just days after the declaration fresh cases were reported. The death toll has since passed 200.

A particular worry for healthcare workers and humanitarian groups trying to stem the spread of the disease is the continued presence of militia groups in the outbreak region in the north-east of the country.

The WHO chief appealed for an end to the fighting to allow workers to tend to patients and prevent further spread. But October brought a fresh wave of cases as violence continued. Aid workers from the Red Cross attempting to contain Ebola were attacked and seriously wounded while attempting to bury the dead. This came after warnings that vaccination teams would require armed escorts.

Aid worker Eric Mukama wrote of the constant fear of attack he and his colleagues endured as they sought to treat Ebola patients.

LGBT rights

In a year when India decriminalised homosexuality, Tanzania and Tunisia began crackdowns.

In Tanzania, Paul Makonda, the regional commissioner for Dar es Salaam, called on the public to name people they suspected of being gay. He said a committee would be created to identify gay people on social media. The moves followed the closure of gay rights organisations and a ban on the distribution of lubricants through HIV programmes. Sex between two men is punishable by 30 years to life in jail. LGBT activists said gay people were now living in fear.

In Tunisia, men suspected of being gay were subjected to anal examinations despite moves in parliament to decriminalise homosexuality. Activists say police were also confiscating phones to gather evidence for prosecutions. Convictions for gay and lesbian sex can result in a three-year jail term.

In June, a presidential commission submitted proposals to decriminalise homosexuality. The plans will be included in draft legalisation put forward by members of parliament.

More positive news came from Jamaica, once dubbed the most homophobic place on earth. Jaevion Nelson, the executive director of the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (J-Flag) – the country’s largest LGBT rights organisation – said there had been a public awakening and there was now greater tolerance in the country.

Disabilities

The British and Kenyan governments co-hosted the world’s first global disability summit, designed to highlighted the lack of funding to support people with disabilities and to end discrimination.

People with disabilities continue to face stigma. The photographer Kate Holt witnessed the struggles people face when she visited Kenya. She met Deborah Mmonga (left), from DRC, who has been disabled from the age of nine, and fled the fighting with her five nieces and nephews after her sister died. We also highlighted claims of abuse of children with disabilities in orphanages, where they are sent to escape violence at home.

But amid the hardships came stories of hope. In Burkino Faso, Wendabo, a 12-year-old girl born with a rare genetic condition that affects limb development, spoke about defying the odds to go to school.

On Global development’s Small Changes podcast, launched this year, we heard from Eddie Ndopu, who was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy when he was two and went on to become the first African with a disability to graduate from Oxford University. He’s now a global ambassador for humanity and inclusion. We also heard from Christophe Oulé, who rebuilt his life after he lost his sight.

Female genital mutilation

The year may have ended with the UK announcing an extra £50m to help end female genital mutilation in Africa by 2030, but 2018 was littered with horror stories.

About 50 girls, including some as young as four, were treated in hospital in Burkina Faso after undergoing FGM. Two women and some relatives of the girls were arrested. The country banned the practice in 1996, one of the first African countries to do so, but changing entrenched attitudes remains a challenge.

The Burkina Faso reports came just weeks after a spate of deaths in Somalia. Four girls, including two sisters, bled to death after undergoing the procedure. The death of a 10-year-old led the attorney general to announce Somalia’s first prosecution – hailed as a defining moment in the country’s history. A team of investigators were sent to interview the girls parents and the local cutter.

Cultural struggles to end the practice in Uganda and Kenya persist.

Meanwhile, weeks after the Indian government said there was no data to support the existence of FGM in the country, research showed the prevalence of cutting in the Bohra Muslim community.

There was a glimmer of good news. The number of girls undergoing FGM in east Africa has fallen dramatically over the past two decades. The study was published in BMJ Global Health.

Human rights

Humanity is on a path to self-destruction, concluded the UN special rapporteur on torture in an interview that rounded out the year. Human rights are under attack and the international community has failed to learn the lessons of the past, Nils Melzer told the Guardian.

His comments echoed those reported by Civicus Monitor last month. The alliance of civil society groups said nearly six out of 10 countries were seriously restricting people’s freedoms. Freedom of speech and rights to peaceful assembly were restricted in 111 of 196 countries.

Activists who challenge the operations of multinational corporations are at growing risk, according to the Business and Human Rights Resource Center. In March, the centre reported that activists are being killed, abused and suppressed in growing numbers. Land rights defenders and activists protesting against mining, agribusiness and renewable energy projects were in greatest danger.

In Saudi Arabia, prominent activists, mostly women’s rights campaigners, were arrested in an escalating clampdown on rights. In Sudan, after an international outcry, a Sudanese teenager who killed her rapist husband had her death sentence revoked. But there have been renewed calls for her to face the death penalty.

There was some good news for the family of murdered activist Berta Cáceres. Seven men were found guilty of shooting dead the Honduran Goldman environmental prize winner in March 2016. Cáceres had led a long fight against a hydroelectric dam project on the Gualcarque river.