wfn.org | No LWF employees, procedures identified in abuses in West Africa

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

No involvement of LWF employees, or inadequate procedures
identified in West Africa
Investigation team reports on allegations of sexual exploitation
of refugee children

GENEVA, 1 May 2002 (LWI) - No involvement of Lutheran World
Federation (LWF) employees could be verified, or specific
instances of poor or inadequate systems and procedures identified,
according to an LWF team report. But it noted that the prevailing
cycle of poverty and conflict creates a context of opportunity for
exploitation. The five-member assessment team investigated alleged
sexual exploitation of refugee children in Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Guinea March 8-20.

LWF General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, sent the team
following a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
and Save the Children - United Kingdom (SC-UK) report on sexual
violence and exploitation of refugee children in the three
countries. Headed by LWF Council Member, Ms. Ermina Freytag of the
North Elbian Evangelical Lutheran Church, Germany, the team
visited refugee and internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps
managed by the LWF Department for World Service (DWS) in all three
countries. Meetings took place with LWF member church
representatives and LWF/DWS field program staff. Consultations
were held with representatives of local authorities, and UN
bodies.

As a major implementing non-governmental organization in the
region, the LWF has a responsibility to ensure that all its
operations' practices protect refugees and IDPs, especially
children. As a member of the wider humanitarian community, the
federation must also ensure that the systemic causes of the
report's allegations are identified and resolved.

The team approached its task for the federation concerning sexual
abuse and exploitation with zero tolerance. It focused attention
on strengthening current procedures and made several
recommendations for consideration and follow up by the LWF, its
member churches and partners for the safety and protection of
children.

The LWF communion is called to advocate for the protection of
children from sexual exploitation as urged in the action plan,
"Churches Say 'No' to Violence against Women" shortly to be
published by the federation.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now
has 133 member churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5
million of the 64.3 million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on
behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such as
ecumenical relations, theology, humanitarian assistance, human
rights, communication, and the various aspects of mission and
development work. Its secretariat is located in Geneva,
Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of
the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted,
material presented does not represent positions or opinions of the
LWF or of its various units. Where the dateline of an article
contains the notation (LWI), the material may be freely reproduced
with acknowledgment.]

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