The Protection of Civilians site in Malakal hosts some 37,000 people [File: Baz Ratner/Reuters]

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has ordered for an “urgent report” detailing the actions taken against aid workers who allegedly committed sexual abuses at UN-run camp in Malakal, Upper Nile.

A joint investigation unveiled by The New Humanitarian and Aljazeera on Wednesday found that UN peacekeepers, agencies staff and aid-workers perpetuated sexual abuse on civilians at Malakal Protection of Civilian Sites.

The probe titled “alleged sex abuse by aid workers unchecked for years in UN-run South Sudan camp” first emerged in 2015, two years after the civil war.

But it has allegedly protracted to involve some of the staff of international agencies like the IOM, MSF, WFP and World Vision workers, who the findings named as alleged perpetrators.

Responding the sexual abuse and exploitation report, UN Chief Guterres said he is appalled by the allegations and demanded for an investigation.

“The Secretary-General is appalled by these allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse which causes irreparable harm to victims and their families,” said his spokesperson in response.

The statement added that the Secretary-General “has asked for an urgent report on the immediate actions being taken by the UN Country team to address sexual exploitation and abuse across our operations in South Sudan and ensure accountability”.

Published on its website early Thursday, The New Humanitarian quoted camp residents saying the UN peacekeepers paid bribes for access to women living at the protection of civilian’s site.

WFP has admitted that it had received six allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against its staff in South Sudan – two in 2019, one in 2020, and three in 2021.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration also told The New Humanitarian that it had received 11 allegations of sexual abuse and exploitation against its workers in Malakal since 2017.

In the report, Malakal PoC residents said, sexual exploitation, mostly perpetrated by humanitarian workers, was being experienced “on a daily basis.”

It cited, UN and NGO workers rented houses in the camps to have sex with women while the UN peacekeepers were paying bribes to gain access to women.

Camp residents also said three girls had been raped and impregnated by a teacher in 2018 – some schools in the camp are supported by UN agencies and NGOs.

Although the UN and most international NGOs ban sexual relationships with aid beneficiaries, several local aid workers, who spoke to The New Humanitarian on condition of anonymity, said they should be allowed to have relationships with women in the camp.

By 2018, alarms were sounded that the overcrowded camp was particularly risky for women and girls, in part due to aid workers having “inadequate knowledge of policies and procedures”, according to a planning document for the UN-led task force.

Although aid officials have often fired workers if sexual abuse cases are found to be substantiated, referring cases like rape for criminal prosecution is more difficult.

According to a UN database, since 2016, the UN has referred only two cases to South Sudan’s government.