The UN again tacitly admits that aid workers sexually abuse Gaza women ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Thursday, June 26, 2025

The UN again tacitly admits that aid workers sexually abuse Gaza women

I've been reporting about how aid workers in Gaza have been sexually abusing women, extorting sexual favors out of them in exchange for food or other aid. The UN even called that sexual abuse by aid workers could become an "epidemic." (And this pre-dates October 7.)

The UN reports on these but buries them inside much larger reports. I have seen press releases on such abuse in other countries, but in Gaza, this news must be made as inaccessible as possible.

The latest report from the UN warns that sexual abuse increases when access to food is limited. And, sure enough, buried within the report is the indication that aid workers are among the abusers, couched in language to make this seem as innocuous as possible. It says, at aid distribution points, "Aid workers, guards, or community leaders may exploit power asymmetries, demanding sex in exchange for food or access to other aid supplies."

It isn't a headline. It is practically a footnote.

This isn't the only problem with the report. It doesn't blame Palestinian men for abusing their wives and daughters. No, it is food insecurity that is the problem, and Palestinian men as just acting naturally. Look how this section is worded:

GBV [Gender-Based Violence] as a Consequence of Household-Level Food Scarcity

When households face chronic food shortages:

Tensions and conflict within the home increase, often escalating into intimate partner violence (IPV), particularly when men feel their provider role is threatened.

Women are blamed for unmet expectations of feeding children and managing household needs—despite having limited control over food access.

Economic stress reduces household resilience and may lead to coercive coping strategies, such as exchanging sex for food or money ("survival sex") and pushing young girls into marriage to reduce family size with the purpose of reducing pressure on the head of the family.

In some cases, food deprivation itself is used as a tool of control. For example, abusive partners or family members may deliberately deny women or girls access to food as a form of punishment.

Notice how it uses the passive voice to describe outrageous behavior. In reality, GBV isn't a consequence of food scarcity - it is exacerbated by it. A society that respects women would never resort to these kinds of activities no matter how bad things are - on the contrary, the men would be actively protecting their women. If it is true that obtaining aid is dangerous for women, why aren't the husbands getting the aid themselves?

The underlying theme of all UN reports that talk about gender based violence in Gaza is that the perpetrators are hardly ever to blame. It is a cultural thing.

But if Israel can somehow be blamed for Palestinian men abusing their wives and children, then the UN and media are all over it.