LONDON — In 2002, the humanitarian aid sector was hit by a disturbing report. The United Nations Refugee Agency and Save the Children UK had found evidence of “extensive” sexual exploitation of refugee children in West Africa at the hands of aid workers.
It was the first time that the problem of sexual exploitation and abuse within the sector came under the spotlight — and it caught the attention of Lucy Heaven Taylor, who was then working for Save the Children UK as a program officer. She eventually became part of the first cohort of safeguarding specialists in the sector.
Since then — and especially in the past two years, as the #AidToo movement gained traction — humanitarian organizations have been increasingly focused on minimizing harm and preventing abuse. That means demand for specialists is rising, and there is not always enough capacity to meet that demand.