“The impact of Trust Fund projects is enormous. I have witnessed victims who became community leaders after participating in our projects. They serve as mentors for vulnerable women in the same situations,” says Christine Besong, who leads the Conduct and Discipline Team in the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Bukavu.
Launched in 2016, the Trust Fund in support of victims of sexual exploitation and abuse helps victims and communities at risk in peacekeeping settings rebuild their lives and be more resilient through dedicated assistance and livelihood support.
"I didn't know if after I was raped there would be a life [for me]. Everyone saw me as the bearer of a curse,” recalls Rebecca, a young woman from Beni, in Eastern DRC.*
“Now that I can [earn a living and] bring something to the table, even my elder brother calls me 'dada’ (sister, in the local language)," she says of the opportunities offered by the Trust Fund.
According to the annual report of the Trust Fund launched this week by the Department of Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance (DMSPC), the lives of over 400 victims and at-risk community members were positively impacted through seven projects implemented throughout 2021 by local partners in Eastern DRC and Haiti.
These projects, ranging from psycho-social and medical support to income-generating opportunities, were funded through the support of the 24 Member States who contribute to the Trust Fund as well as withheld payments from personnel against whom allegations of sexual misconduct have been substantiated.
Looking forward, the Trust Fund in 2022 supports victims in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and South Sudan.
As more funds are being sought to help victims realize their rights and rebuild their lives, the Fund is also widening its reach to be able to support victims of all United Nations personnel, rather than those in peace operations only.
* Name changed for anonymity purposes
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