Women say they were promised food, money for sex
After weeks of scraping by to feed her six children in Gaza, the 38-year-old woman thought she’d found a lifeline.
At a shelter, a friend told her about a man who could help with food, aid, maybe even a job. The woman—separated from her husband, and forced to shutter the business that once kept the family afloat—approached him.
It was about a month into the war in Gaza, she said, and he promised her work, a six-month contract with an aid agency. On the day she believed she’d sign the paperwork, he drove her not to an office but to an empty apartment. He complimented her, she said, and told her to remove her headscarf.
He told her he loved her and wouldn’t force her, she said, but he also wouldn’t let her leave. Eventually, they had a sexual encounter, she said. She declined to give details of the nature of their interaction, saying she felt fear and shame.
Scared
“I had to play along because I was scared, I wanted out of this place,” the woman said.
Before she left, she said, he handed her some money—100 shekels, about $30. Two weeks later, he gave her a box of medicine and a box of food. But for weeks, the job didn’t materialize.
As Gaza’s humanitarian crisis grows, women say they have been exploited by local men—some associated with aid groups—promising food, money, water, supplies or work in exchange for sexual interactions.
Six women detailed their experiences to The Associated Press (AP), each speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution from their families or the men and because sexual harassment and assault are considered taboo topics.
Sometimes, they said, the men’s solicitation was blatant: “Let me touch you,” one woman recalled being told. Other times, it was culturally coded: “I want to marry you,” or “Let’s go together somewhere.”
Aid groups and experts say exploitation often arises during conflicts and other times of desperation, particularly when people are displaced and reliant on assistance. Reports of abuse and exploitation have emerged during emergencies in South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Congo, Chad and Haiti.
‘Horrible reality’
“It’s a horrible reality that humanitarian crises make people vulnerable in many ways—increased sexual violence is often a consequence,” said Heather Barr, associate director for the women’s rights division at Human Rights Watch. “The situation in Gaza today is unspeakable, especially for women and girls.”
Four psychologists working with women in Gaza described patients’ accounts to AP. One said her organization—focused on protecting women and children—treated dozens of cases involving men sexually exploiting vulnerable women, including some in which they became pregnant.
The psychologists, all Palestinians working for local organizations in Gaza, spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns for the women involved and the sensitive nature of the cases, in a conservative culture where sex outside of marriage in any context is seen as a grave offense. They said none of their patients wanted to speak with AP directly.
Five of the women who shared their stories with AP said they did not engage in sexual interaction with the men. The psychologists said some women who came to them agreed to the men’s demands, while others refused.
Agencies aware
Six human rights and relief organizations—including the local Palestinian group the Women’s Affairs Center and the Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse network—told AP they were aware of reports of sexual abuse and exploitation linked to receiving aid.
Aid groups say the context in Gaza—nearly two years of war, the displacement of at least 90 percent of the population, and turmoil over aid access—has made humanitarian work for vulnerable people particularly challenging. As hunger and desperation grow across the enclave, women in particular say they’ve been pushed to make impossible decisions.
Israel blamed
The groups blame Israel’s offensive and blockade for the humanitarian crisis and say the war has made documenting exploitation cases difficult. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas Health Ministry and staffed by medical professionals.
Israel says there are no restrictions on aid and that it has taken steps to expand what comes into Gaza. Israel also accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid and blames UN agencies for failing to deliver food it has allowed in. The UN denies there is widespread aid diversion.
One of the women who spoke to AP described phone calls that began in October, a year into the war. At first, she said, the man’s questions were simple. What happened to her husband? How many children did they have? But, the 35-year-old widow said, his tone took a turn. What underwear was she wearing? How did her husband please her?
She said she’d met the man in Muwasi, a strip of land Israel designated a humanitarian zone. She described standing in line to get assistance and giving her phone number to an aid worker—a Palestinian in a uniform labeled UNRWA, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.
Shortly after he took her number, the late-night calls began. He would ask sexual questions, she said, and she’d stay silent. At one point, he asked to come to her, for sex. She refused, and after nearly a dozen calls but no aid, she blocked his number.
The woman said she reported him to UNRWA in Gaza in a verbal complaint. She said she was told she needed a recording of the conversations as proof, but she had an old phone that couldn’t record calls.
