TO COMPLAIN OR NOT TO COMPLAIN: STILL THE QUESTION ...

30 HAP Humanitarian Accountability Parthership
also supports youth and orphans. 31 Beneficiaries are Burundians, Rwandans and Congolese
living in Nairobi. Sale of dresses from their dress-making shop pays rent, supports orphans
and gives a small stipend to members. Other than a donation of sewing machines from
UNHCR, they have no contact with humanitarian agencies.
Human Rights and Refugee Activists (Hurira) is a registered NGO in Kenya. Hurira 32 was
founded in service of the Somali-Bantu community in June 2006. Of their twenty to thirty
members some are registered refugees, others are not. All members are Somali-Bantu. This
group was acutely aware of their marginalised status and very passionate about creating
a new government in Somalia. Hurira’s focus is civil, political 33 and social human rights,
especially in terms of education for girls and women.
V. CONSTRAINTS
We arrived during a period just before and during student exams in Kakuma camp which
limited BBC team opportunities to reach in-school youth through clubs or other extracurricular
activities. Another constraint was that many beneficiaries with whom we spoke
viewed sexual and gender based violence as inextricable from sexual exploitation and
abuse. Although we offered a few hypothetical examples to help beneficiaries differentiate
sexual exploitation and abuse from the more encompassing category of SGBV, a number
of consultations veered off on tangents including domestic violence and one discussion of
exploitation of refugees by refugees in the Somali community. 34 We tried to clarify with
beneficiaries whether they meant domestic violence or sexual exploitation and abuse
perpetrated by humanitarian staff when they mentioned that they would feel comfortable
complaining to LWF’s Gender Unit. 35 Although this highlighted that many have a limited
understanding of sexual exploitation and abuse, it was interesting to see the impact of
significant awareness raising about channels for reporting and responding to SGBV.
The Sudanese population was particularly preoccupied with whether to repatriate and the
uncertain political situation in Sudan. Another preoccupation which often temporarily redirected
discussions was beneficiaries’ concerns, regardless of nationality, about night time insecurity in
the form of banditry involving attacks on individuals and households in Kakuma. This fear of
insecurity was an important concern for many of the communities with whom we spoke.
Complaints mechanisms themselves were not yet in place. 36 Beneficiaries’ opinions about
where they would complain in Kakuma offered more of a baseline from which to measure
future complaints mechanism progress than an accurate reflection of current sexual
exploitation and abuse response.
31
They arrange for training, internships and certifi cation for youth through local salons, barbers, tailoring and
other on-the-job training opportunities in their neighbourhood.
32
Hurira’s objectives currently include: 1) Empower/assist Somali Bantu girls who are imported into Kenya as
house servants (“slaves”) who have no rights and little chance of escape from their situation; 2) Provide
safe havens for Somali Bantu girls who escape their house servant position; and 3) support women’s
health/education for Somali Bantu still in Somalia.
33
Their ultimate goal is to transform into a new political party which will be the Somali Alliance for Peace and
Federal Democracy upon repatriation to Somalia.
34
One leader identifi ed that refugee against refugee exploitation, in particular of underaged girls, is a serious
concern. This particular woman refugee leader asked pointedly why the international community limits itself
to preventing or responding to sexual exploitation and abuse of benefi ciaries by aid workers when there are
many problems of sexual exploitation perpetrated by refugees in her community. Why not expand to combat
sexual exploitation and abuse everywhere by everyone?
35
Some participants did not distinguish domestic violence from sexual exploitation and abuse. Nor did they
differentiate between wife beaters and sexual exploitation and abuse related misconduct by humanitarian
aid workers.
36
They appear to have been outside of the PSEA Consortium programme scope, and the fact that complaints
mechanisms still need to be developed is a clear indicator that putting sexual exploitation and abuse
prevention and response systems in place realistically requires even more dedicated time, effort and
resources than the huge commitment made by the PSEA Consortium.