A top-down approach to put the victims at the center of the United Nations prevention and response was declared by the Secretary-General António Guterres in 2017 as part of his strategy to address sexual exploitation and abuse. The role of the Victims’ Rights Advocate was created to implement this pillar, and Ms. Najla Nassif Palma leads a system-wide effort to uphold the rights and dignity of victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel. She reports directly to the Secretary-General and with UN entities, Member States, civil society, and national human rights organizations to amplify victims’ voices, enhance the provision of assistance, and ensure justice.
Najla’s strategic advocacy covers the entire Organization and focuses on supporting communities impacted by sexual misconduct by UN personnel. Most of the victims/survivors are women and girls from local populations, while the offenders are primarily men, including uniformed, civilian, international, and national staff in peacekeeping, humanitarian, and development settings, as well as their implementing partners.
Advancing victims’ rights requires adopting a victim-centered approach that prioritizes empathy, protection, and the well-being of victims. This approach focuses on ensuring victims’ rights, dignity, and safety are upheld, regardless of the perpetrator’s affiliation. It emphasizes compassionate, individualized engagement from the moment allegations arise, providing continuous, non-judgmental support. Transparency and informed consent are essential, ensuring victims are fully aware of their options and can maintain control over the process. Victims’ confidentiality must also be safeguarded, protecting them from stigma, discrimination, retaliation, and re-traumatization, ensuring their recovery and dignity are central throughout.
The work of the Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate (OVRA) focuses on upholding the following rights of the victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse:
1. The right to be treated with respect
2. The right to receive assistance and support
3. The right to justice and accountability
4. The right to decide how involved to be in United Nations processes
5. The right to get information
6. The right to be heard
7. The right to privacy and confidentiality
8. The right to be protected
9. The right to a remedy
10. The right to complain of the treatment you have received
Najla has three key priorities in advancing the rights of the victims:
Voice: Prioritize the needs, wishes, and perspectives of victims and survivors.
Many victims fear retaliation and lack adequate protection, with unclear reporting pathways and limited information. This leaves them unaware of their rights or the steps they can take to address their situation. Additionally, some victims feel that care projects do not meet their needs or expectations, contributing to the high level of underreporting.
Najla and her team focus on building trust with victims and survivors, advocating for stronger protective measures and clear, gender-sensitive ways for them to file complaints. During her field visits, she engages directly with victims to listen to their needs and perspectives, making their experiences more visible and fostering a better understanding of the impact of sexual exploitation and abuse in their lives and in the communities. Additionally, the Office seeks feedback from victims/survivors to guarantee that their input shapes the support programs’ design, ensuring they are responsive and effective in addressing their needs.
Assistance: Coordinate a unified approach to victim assistance and support across the UN.
Victims and survivors of sexual exploitation and abuse often need medical care, psychosocial support, education, livelihood assistance, legal services, and support for children born from such abuse. However, ongoing underfunding, unstable and uncoordinated systems, and a lack of services, especially in high-risk areas, mean they often don’t receive the help they need. The UN’s ability to provide full assistance relies heavily on local service providers, but many gender-based violence and child protection services lack quality and coverage. When gaps arise, UN entities should use internal resources to step in, and projects can be implemented using available funds from the Trust Fund for Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse.
Najla advocates for steady, long-term funding for victim assistance in peacekeeping, humanitarian, and development efforts, as well as contributions to the Trust Fund. She is also working with UN agencies to develop a unified approach that ensures consistent, coordinated, and comprehensive support to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, as currently varying practices are in place. Additionally, she calls for innovative ways to maximize available resources. For example, she organized UN Trust and Assistance Fund meetings to share lessons, discuss challenges, and explore collaboration. Najla shared that “one success story is the UNESCO program in Liberia, which has helped victims to start small businesses, like tailoring, baking pastries, and making soap, allowing them to rebuild their lives.”
Justice: Advocate for holistic justice for victims and survivors. Victims of sexual misconduct often face significant challenges in seeking justice, with the entire process being incredibly slow, complex and not victim-centred. There is a widespread perception of impunity, where perpetrators go unpunished, leaving victims frustrated and disillusioned, which discourages victims from pursuing justice.
Najla advocates for a comprehensive approach to justice for victims, including accountability of perpetrators in the disciplinary and criminal proceedings, restorative measures, and resolution of paternity and child support claims for children born of sexual exploitation and abuse.
The Office works with UN entities, national authorities, and civil society to institutionalize a victim-centered approach, prevent further traumatization, speed up disciplinary and criminal investigations, keep victims updated on their cases, and help them access legal aid. Najla is also pushing for stronger legal protections and remedies for victims, like financial compensation, to be included in national laws. When it comes to paternity and child support claims for children born from sexual exploitation and abuse, given the complexities of these cases under national laws, Najla and her team, collaborating closely with other UN departments, encourage and support Member States in working with the fathers to assume their parental obligations.
Supporting victims/survivors of UN personnel sexual misconduct and protecting their rights takes a team effort, and this is where Senior Victims’ Rights Officers come in. These dedicated professionals are based only in four countries—Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and South Sudan—and serve as victims’ main contact points. They help coordinate on-the-ground support, like medical care, psychosocial assistance, legal aid, income-generating activities, and even school fees for children born from SEA. They also offer guidance on victims’ rights and accompany them through accountability processes, whether within UN procedures or national criminal and civil cases, such as paternity or child support claims, including helping with DNA samples and opening bank accounts.
And just as importantly, they keep victims/survivors informed about the progress of their cases since the lack of information is one of their biggest frustrations. The Office of the Victims’ Rights Advocate was also able to identify and assist victims with children born of sexual exploitation and abuse in Liberia and Victims’ Rights Focal Points in Botswana, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Palestine and Uruguay play a key role in making sure the rights of the victims are prioritized. However, there’s a clear need for more full-time specialists dedicated to supporting victims.
Despite the huge challenges, Najla and her team remain committed to elevating victims’ voices, advancing assistance, and advocating for holistic justice for survivors and children born from SEA. As Najla states, “Victims and survivors are suffering, and it hurts waiting. We are all accountable to them, and we must put Victims’ Rights First!”
INTERESTING RESOURCES
Advice and guidance on questions relating to the rights of the victims/survivors of SEA