MSF investigation finds exploitation of women, girls in Chad refugee camps

Sudanese women and girls living as refugees in Chad are being subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse, according to Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian organisation.

The aid group said it carried out an investigation and found that women and underage girls are compelled by locals and some foreign staff to trade sex for food, water and milk. It also found cases of women and underage girls being compelled to trade sex for jobs. Some women were also forced into prostitution.

The organisation, known by its French initials MSF, is one of the biggest organisations responding to the humanitarian crisis in Chad. It provides nutrition and medical support, sanitation and other emergency humanitarian assistance through local and foreign staff under its employ. A 2024 AP report, which investigated and documented the sexual exploitation of Sudanese women by local officials, had prompted the aid organisation to conduct a “candid internal analysis.”

The investigation was conducted between 2024 and 2025. It was completed last July but did not reach the public until Saturday, when AP first reported it. MSF told the paper that at least 18 staff members have been dismissed and barred from future employment since the investigation. It also admitted that the abuse was more widespread than previously reported.

MSF found 59 allegations of abuse and misconduct that represent “a serious breach of its values and responsibilities,” and declared that it “deeply regrets the harm caused.”

It was noted that the number of cases was likely to be higher, as some of the victims were unwilling to speak out of fear. The AP reported that some of the women who spoke to MSF investigators admitted that they chose silence out of fear that they might lose access to care by doing otherwise.

One of the cases MSF investigated involved the abduction of seven girls for sexual abuse, AP reported, quoting the memo on the findings. It reported that seven refugee girls were put into an MSF vehicle and told they were headed to water distribution and construction sites, but were, however, taken elsewhere and “exposed to” sexual abuse.

In another case, some female Chadian staff were threatened with losing their jobs if they refused to have sex with supervisors or colleagues.

MSF was unaware of most of the abuse allegations until they were uncovered through AP’s reporting.

The organisation stated in its internal report that it carried out weeks of abuse-prevention training for staff and community leaders in 2023, but the impact was short-lived. It attributed this to high staff turnover.

The memo further stated that urgent staffing needs, coupled with inadequate reference checks, led to the recruitment of individuals with prior records of misconduct or abuse.

The report recommended a series of measures, including clearly communicating standards of conduct to staff, strengthening reference-check procedures during recruitment, and establishing a single, effective database of employees deemed ineligible for rehiring.