Women and Girls in Chad Refugee Camps Face Exploitation

Sudanese women and girls living as refugees in Chad are facing sexual exploitation and abuse. This is according to Doctors Without Borders, a global humanitarian group.

The group said it did an investigation and found that women and underage girls are being forced by locals and some foreign workers to exchange sex for food, water, and milk. They also found cases where women and underage girls have to trade sex for jobs. Some women have been pushed into prostitution.

Doctors Without Borders, known as MSF, is one of the largest organizations helping with the humanitarian crisis in Chad. It provides nutrition, medical care, sanitation, and other emergency help through local and foreign staff. A 2024 report by the AP showed the sexual exploitation of Sudanese women by local officials. This pushed MSF to carry out an internal review.

The investigation took place between 2024 and 2025. It was finished last July but the public only learned about it on Saturday when the AP reported it. MSF told the paper that at least 18 staff members have been fired and banned from future jobs since the investigation. They also admitted that the abuse was more common than they had previously thought.

MSF found 59 claims of abuse and misconduct, which they called a serious violation of their values. They said they "deeply regret the harm caused."

They noted that the actual number of cases is likely higher as some victims are too scared to speak up. The AP reported that some women told MSF investigators they chose to stay silent because they feared losing access to care if they spoke out.

One case involved the kidnapping of seven girls for sexual abuse. The AP reported that these seven refugee girls were taken in an MSF vehicle. They were told they were going for water distribution and construction work but were taken somewhere else and exposed to sexual abuse.

In another situation, some female Chadian staff said they were threatened with job loss if they did not have sex with their supervisors or coworkers.

MSF was mostly unaware of these abuse allegations until they were revealed through the AP’s reporting. The organization mentioned in its internal report that it had done weeks of training to prevent abuse for staff and community leaders in 2023, but the effects did not last long. They said this was due to high staff turnover.

The memo also stated that urgent staffing needs and weak reference checks led to hiring people with past misconduct or abuse records. The report suggested several actions, including clearly stating conduct standards for staff, improving reference-check procedures during hiring, and creating a single, effective database of employees not eligible for rehire.