In south Yemen, WHO's efforts to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct are gaining ground. There, at the beginning of 2023, training sessions on the prevention of sexual misconduct commenced across a network of 17 mental health units established by WHO in the region. This work has established cooperation with healthcare workers to support potential survivors of sexual misconduct and better aligned WHO's work with Member States to effect greater change.
With a long background in mental health work – having lent his expertise on the subject to the drafting of the National Mental Health Strategy in Yemen 2022–2026 – Ibrahim Abou Khalil is now the Prevention and Response to Sexual Misconduct (PRS) Technical Officer for WHO's country office in Yemen. He was driven to provide comprehensive training on PRS because, in his words, "I cannot work on the health aspect without the protectional and educational aspect. It's one package."
For the healthcare worker PRS training sessions, Mr Abou Khalil provides information on the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines and WHO's work in this area. This includes the Organization's commitment; definitions of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment; the accountability of aid workers and the impact they have; how to manage reports of sexual misconduct; and how to implement the victim- and survivor-centred approach around which WHO focuses its PRS work.
"The training sessions increase sexual misconduct awareness, but also if people come to those [mental health] units, the medical staff will know how to manage the case from a victim- and survivor-centred approach," explained Mr Abou Khalil. He is currently drafting standard operating procedures for victim assistance tailored to the country's circumstances.
But developing targeted PRS training comes with challenges. Not only is Yemen a country divided politically, but widespread conflict has left the country's population as one of the most vulnerable in the world, with more than 23.4 million people in need of some form of humanitarian assistance. This means there are many more risks for sexual misconduct, as many of WHO's programmes in the country involve coming into direct contact with local populations. Linked to those risks are cultural and religious perspectives that make approaching the issue of sexual misconduct a delicate matter.
To make the training sessions effective, Mr Abou Khalil remains perceptive to these nuances, which are important to building bridges of trust within the network. "When the yearly implementation plan was rolled out, I had to get the template and adapt it to Yemen contexts. There I identified specific needs and activities, and then found indicators to measure them," he said. "At the end of year, my team and I review what was implemented and gaps that remain."
WHO's training sessions with healthcare workers have been held in larger cities like Aden, Lahj, Al Daleh and Abyan. From these, the Yemen Ministry of Public Health and Population witnessed a positive impact on the 17 mental health units in south Yemen and requested additional comprehensive training sessions for other healthcare workers.
"The work we are doing is substantive," explained Mr Abou Khalil. "WHO has already done a lot, but there is still a lot to do. The impact is in the future."
