The IRC said: "Within our own operations, we launched new programmes and systems to better protect women and girls in southern Syria. Spencer claims the aid sector turned a blind eye to ensure that aid still got into southern Syria. "Sexual exploitation and abuse of women and girls has been ignored, it's been known about and ignored for seven years," she said. A spokesman for UNFPA said it had heard of possible cases of exploitation and abuse of Syrian women in southern Syria from Care. "We did not receive reports about sexual exploitation around aid delivery in 2015, but have a zero tolerance policy on such abuse."

Source: bd News24 February 27, 2018 08:48 UTC