Sexual assault is a huge problem world-wide, but when aid is denied, the tragedy is so much worse. While I can appreciate efforts to reduce expenses and cut costs, denying aid to the sexually assaulted women refugees of the world is really evil in the extreme.
From the Christian Science Monitor: 2017-11-24 issue
"As bad as conditions are for the Rohingya generally, they are worse for their women and girls. The United Nations recently concluded that nearly all of the hundreds of thousands of Muslim females fleeing what it has called “ethnic cleansing” in Myanmar have either survived or witnessed sexual assault, including rape and gang rape. Thousands of the displaced women, most of whom have fled to sprawling camps in neighboring Bangladesh, are pregnant and face the prospect of giving birth in life-threatening conditions. Some human rights experts say the horrendous conditions are being exacerbated by US cuts in funding for UN programs that provide women-specific services to displaced populations. “We’re barred from getting any money from the US government, and that is having a significant impact,” says Ugochi Daniels, chief of humanitarian response at the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The withdrawal of what before this year was UNFPA’s No. 1 funding source “means that women and girls are not getting the services they require,” she says.
By Howard LaFranchi"