Signing Ceremony - InterAgency Protocols for the Prevention of Exploitation and Abuse in the Kenya Program

Remarks as delivered

{Note: During a visit to Kenya and Uganda to study refugee conditions and consult with partner organizations and government officials, Assistant Secretary Sauerbrey attended the signing ceremony of InterAgency protocols on the implementation of programs to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse of refugees.}

I am honored to be present at this important event and salute the important work you are doing.   I feel very fortunate that my travel schedule to Kenya coincided with this ceremony.  I applaud your commitment to preventing exploitation and abuse.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my country's appreciation for all of your work on behalf of refugees.  I salute the phenomenal generosity of the people and government of Kenya in hosting their neighbors in need.  I admire the great skill, courage, and humanity of the staff of our partners working for international and non-governmental organizations.

Like you, the United States government views refugee protection as a priority.  It is our watchword in the State Department Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration.

The international community has come to realize that prevention and response to gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation, is an integral aspect of that protection.  The debilitating, long-term effects of emotional and physical trauma can be life-shattering and no one should ever have to undergo that. 

Since 2002, my Bureau has required its overseas assistance implementing partners to adopt a code of conduct to help protect beneficiaries of our programs from sexual exploitation and abuse of refugees.  That code was developed to be consistent with the six core principles endorsed by the InterAgency Standing Committee' s Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Crises . 

However, we all realize that simply creating and signing on to codes of conduct is not enough.  It is essential to establish a structure that increases awareness, provides skills and standard reference materials, and focuses on investigations of abuse and exploitation.  That is why what you are doing today is so significant.  These protocols represent your commitment to strengthening the international community's efforts to better protect refugee populations.  Mainstreaming prevention of gender-based violence is vital to our efforts.

We continue to develop policies that address gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons.  Our objectives are to ensure that all refugees participate equitably in decision-making in all areas of refugee life.  

My Bureau has worked with implementing partners to encourage them not just to target gender-based violence directly, but also to mainstream these activities into general programming.  Since Fiscal Year 2000, PRM has provided over $14.8 million of targeted programming on this issue.  

IRC's “Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the Kenya Refugee Program” has been one of the real success stories.  This project has made great strides in educating humanitarian staff and refugee communities on prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse.  It has also focused on engaging and empowering beneficiaries.

I believe this is a key.  We recognize the distinct needs of vulnerable refugee populations, but we must not forget the unique resources that they bring to their families and communities.  I can tell you that in my previous role as the United States representative to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, I had the privilege of meeting with women and children who had survived horrendous exploitation and abuse, and gone on to become powerful advocates for justice.  We need to avoid thinking of our beneficiaries as victims only, and remember that they can also be active agents on their own behalf.

I am looking forward to my visit to Kakuma camp and to seeing conditions there firsthand.  I also look forward to furthering the collaboration between my Bureau and all of the organizations represented here today. 

Thank you.