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Indian HC, SL Red Cross investigate alleged sexual favours for housing funds in northern province
View(s):A joint investigation has been launched by the Indian High Commission (IHC) and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) into complaints of soliciting sexual favours from women in the North in return for houses from the Indian Housing Project (IHP), an Indian High Commission spokesman said.
“The IHC took up the issue with SLRCS officials and investigations are under way. India will not condone any such activity by any of the implementing partners of this project,” the spokesman said. Mahieash Johnney, SLRCS Senior Manager Communications and Humanitarian Diplomacy, told the Sunday Times that the management has called for inquiries following a written complaint lodged at the Kilinochchi branch last week. But other officials said at least 30 such complaints had been received.
“If our investigations reveal that any of our officers are guilty, they will be handed over to the police for further legal action,” he said. Some 1,800 houses are to be distributed in the Mulankavil area in the Kilinochchi district under the project.
Investigations were initiated after a war-displaced widow from Mulankavil lodged a complaint against one of the officials at the Kilinochchi branch, saying he demanded sexual favours from her in order to approve funds for the construction of her house under the project.
Currently, 16 project officers are supervising the implementation of the project in the Kilinochchi district. Their mandate is to assist the people and women-headed families with technical support in the housing project, and the release of funds on an instalment basis.
The SLRCS, in collaboration with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), are implementing partners to the Government of India, in facilitating the IHP. SLRCS Kilinochchi Branch Secretary Thampu Sethupathy told the Sunday Times that he had received more than 30 written and verbal complaints regarding demands for sexual favours. He said that, based on the sensitivity of the issue, he forwarded 15 of these complaints to the head office in Colombo.
“For the last two months we have been getting this kind of complaint from the public, particularly women. Initially we did not consider this as a serious issue until we received some of the complaints which were very sensitive, with a similar pattern. It was thereafter we brought this to the attention of the head office,” he said.
Conceding that the district base office should have acted early, Mr. Sethupathy said, soon after the complaints, they visited at least five villages to monitor the activities of project officers. “There are 11 villages in the district. I am afraid there may be many cases in other villages too.” After it was brought to the attention of the SLRCS head office, an inquiry committee headed by Central Governance Board member T. Vasatharajah visited the villages and conducted investigations into the issue.
An interim report by this committee is to be handed over to the Governing Board.
No action has been initiated to date, against those against whom complaints have been lodged. The IHC spokesman was not immediately available for comment. The IHP is funded by the Government of India and implemented through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). Four Implementing Agencies, namely UN-Habitat, IFRC in partnership with the SLRCS, the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) and Habitat for Humanity were selected for the project being executed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
The 36-month project was to be completed by mid-2015. The project will lead to direct housing through the reconstruction and repair of 43,000 houses.