Norwegian's Deny Akha Sex Abuse in Laos

After their own NORAD report stated clearly that in fact sexual abuse of Akha women and girls had occurred on the part of Norwegian Church Aid NCA staff in northern Laos, the Norwegian Delegate stood up at the UN Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues at New York last week and stated clearly that the allegations of sexual abuse were unsubstantiated.
Wow.

Here the representative of a country, takes defense to their church, and claims that the government of Norway says, no abuse occurred. Amazing.

Here is the original transcript:

http://www.norad.no/default.asp?V_ITEM_ID=5930

So where are the advocates for the Akha women? Does Norway answer to them?

We conveyed quite frankly that the only thing left to do was to file suit against Norwegian Church Aid and bring the women forward.

It is shameful that rather than admitting to the very obvious guilt, the Norwegian Government would involve themselves and say it all never happened, least has not been proven, go back to work, file suit, NCA staff are guilty of nothing so far.

So that is the route it will have to go. To a court of Law, citing both Norwegian Church Aid and their backer, the Norwegian Government.

Sirocco on May 23, 2007 at 6:26 pm

Oh yes, I remember you. You are one of the strangest, most obsessive characters I have come across online, and also, it must be said, not among the more honest.

First of all, the Norway angle seems a little contrived given that only one of the two NGOs are Norwegian and that the staff accused, as best I can tell, are local (i.e. from Laos). More importantly, I checked out the Norad report, and it says the opposite of you claim:

In May 2006, public claims were made that accused NGO staff from Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Accion contra la Faim (ACF) of conducting systematic sexual abuse and rape of young women from project target populations of Akha ethnicity in Northwest Laos. These allegations were based on video testimony made in March 2006 by Akha informants and recorded by an American indigenous rights advocate and a Czechoslovakian journalist. Aware of the allegations, an internal review was conducted by Norwegian Church Aid in April 2006. This report was unable to verify the incidence of abuse of local women by NCA staff. In June, NORAD a key funding agency of Norwegian Church Aid, consigned an independent investigation. The team arrived in Lao PDR in early July to collect data that would verify or refute the claims made public in press reports and on indigenous lobby group websites.

The team consisted of an anthropologist and children’s rights specialist. The team’s specific brief was to ascertain from young Akha women whether sexual abuse had been perpetrated in local Akha communities by staff employed by, or affiliated with, NCA who have been implementing development activities amongst these communities for the past 12 years.

Findings

1.We find that the details released to the press have their basis in widespread knowledge that sexual relations do take place between Akha and non-Akha. Although we find no evidence indicating specific individuals are currently engaged in such relations, it is possible that on occasion sexual relations have taken place between staff employed or affiliated with NCA.
2.We agree there has been one example of an NCA project coordinator (ie a long term government counterpart) having made an Akha woman pregnant
3.We find no evidence of rape.
4.We find indication that code of conduct guidelines are currently inadequate to address the growing opportunities and potential for sexual interactions and sexual exploitation to take place.

Each of these findings needs further elaboration. We believe we can substantially clarify the situation and suggest that the allegations rely on partial knowledge and exaggerated claims. (14)

1.1.In each village where interviews were conducted, it was acknowledged that Government/NGO staff do come to request sleeping partners occasionally. It varied between villages from once every few months to 2-3 per month, sometimes more when a large number of laborers have been present.
1.2.Based on the information given by villagers, it has been impossible for the investigation team to determine whether these requests for sexual partners come from direct NCA staff, co-ordinators, contractors, counterparts or independent Government employees. Most villagers do not make these distinctions and lump all non-Akha Lao into the same category (panakgarn). Some villagers categorically stated no NCA staff engaged in such relations, others did not know. (15)

[snip]

1.Occurrence of sexual abuse and rape. The investigation team finds no evidence of rape carried out by NGO staff. The crux of the allegations against NCA centres on the premise that all sexual relations occurring between non-Akha and Akha women are coerced and abusive. The videotaped interviewees in both instances indicated that NCA and ACF staff request that young women sleep with them. As above, the investigation finds this is possible although it is unclear whether the men are NGO employees or independent Government staff. However, in no instance was data concerning direct abuse made evident.

1.1.In each village, both men and women indicated the young women will not be forced to sleep with non-Akha men. Thus, our investigation directly refutes the claims of rape and coerced sexual abuse. (16)

The report also goes into the sociocultural background whence these allegations emerged.

To summarise, the present day Akha still utilise a traditional system of structuring sexual relations amongst unmarried women and males from the same or neighboring villages. The male youth group will organize that a young woman be available to spend time alone with in a sleeping area (usually a specially designated little hut, an unused sleeping room or sometimes even just a mat at the edge of the village). The male youth group does not guarantee that the woman will be available for sex. The rules here are complicated; she must not leave the males company without valid reason or in some villages the fee the male has paid must be returned to him and the girl is in turn fined. If however she has valid reason – defined as overly aggressive advances by the male – then she is entirely within her rights to leave him.1

This is the sexual system that in recent years, non-Akha men have been gaining increasing opportunity to take part in. This comes about in two ways.
1.Increasing numbers of traders, laborers, development workers, Government staff including military, police, agriculture, health, transport and education sectors (etc) are living in or close to Akha villages. These people are predominantly male.
2.A number of Akha villages have moved close to the lowland roads and towns making cross-cultural interactions more common and sexual relations more readily achieved. (8-9)

Now, I understand that your real agenda is opposition to attempts by NGOs and the gov’t of Laos to make this tribe give up opium production. That is fine, but you will be much more credible if you crank up the honesty a bit. What I don’t understand is your apparent hate of Norwegians as such, a recurrent trait in your diaries.
Did some Norwegian girl dump you, or what?

3 Comments

Sirocco on May 23, 2007 at 6:26 pm

Oh yes, I remember you. You are one of the strangest, most obsessive characters I have come across online, and also, it must be said, not among the more honest.

First of all, the Norway angle seems a little contrived given that only one of the two NGOs are Norwegian and that the staff accused, as best I can tell, are local (i.e. from Laos). More importantly, I checked out the Norad report, and it says the opposite of you claim:

In May 2006, public claims were made that accused NGO staff from Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and Accion contra la Faim (ACF) of conducting systematic sexual abuse and rape of young women from project target populations of Akha ethnicity in Northwest Laos. These allegations were based on video testimony made in March 2006 by Akha informants and recorded by an American indigenous rights advocate and a Czechoslovakian journalist. Aware of the allegations, an internal review was conducted by Norwegian Church Aid in April 2006. This report was unable to verify the incidence of abuse of local women by NCA staff. In June, NORAD a key funding agency of Norwegian Church Aid, consigned an independent investigation. The team arrived in Lao PDR in early July to collect data that would verify or refute the claims made public in press reports and on indigenous lobby group websites.

The team consisted of an anthropologist and children’s rights specialist. The team’s specific brief was to ascertain from young Akha women whether sexual abuse had been perpetrated in local Akha communities by staff employed by, or affiliated with, NCA who have been implementing development activities amongst these communities for the past 12 years.

Findings

1.We find that the details released to the press have their basis in widespread knowledge that sexual relations do take place between Akha and non-Akha. Although we find no evidence indicating specific individuals are currently engaged in such relations, it is possible that on occasion sexual relations have taken place between staff employed or affiliated with NCA.
2.We agree there has been one example of an NCA project coordinator (ie a long term government counterpart) having made an Akha woman pregnant
3.We find no evidence of rape.
4.We find indication that code of conduct guidelines are currently inadequate to address the growing opportunities and potential for sexual interactions and sexual exploitation to take place.

Each of these findings needs further elaboration. We believe we can substantially clarify the situation and suggest that the allegations rely on partial knowledge and exaggerated claims. (14)

1.1.In each village where interviews were conducted, it was acknowledged that Government/NGO staff do come to request sleeping partners occasionally. It varied between villages from once every few months to 2-3 per month, sometimes more when a large number of laborers have been present.
1.2.Based on the information given by villagers, it has been impossible for the investigation team to determine whether these requests for sexual partners come from direct NCA staff, co-ordinators, contractors, counterparts or independent Government employees. Most villagers do not make these distinctions and lump all non-Akha Lao into the same category (panakgarn). Some villagers categorically stated no NCA staff engaged in such relations, others did not know. (15)

[snip]

1.Occurrence of sexual abuse and rape. The investigation team finds no evidence of rape carried out by NGO staff. The crux of the allegations against NCA centres on the premise that all sexual relations occurring between non-Akha and Akha women are coerced and abusive. The videotaped interviewees in both instances indicated that NCA and ACF staff request that young women sleep with them. As above, the investigation finds this is possible although it is unclear whether the men are NGO employees or independent Government staff. However, in no instance was data concerning direct abuse made evident.

1.1.In each village, both men and women indicated the young women will not be forced to sleep with non-Akha men. Thus, our investigation directly refutes the claims of rape and coerced sexual abuse. (16)

The report also goes into the sociocultural background whence these allegations emerged.

To summarise, the present day Akha still utilise a traditional system of structuring sexual relations amongst unmarried women and males from the same or neighboring villages. The male youth group will organize that a young woman be available to spend time alone with in a sleeping area (usually a specially designated little hut, an unused sleeping room or sometimes even just a mat at the edge of the village). The male youth group does not guarantee that the woman will be available for sex. The rules here are complicated; she must not leave the males company without valid reason or in some villages the fee the male has paid must be returned to him and the girl is in turn fined. If however she has valid reason – defined as overly aggressive advances by the male – then she is entirely within her rights to leave him.1

This is the sexual system that in recent years, non-Akha men have been gaining increasing opportunity to take part in. This comes about in two ways.
1.Increasing numbers of traders, laborers, development workers, Government staff including military, police, agriculture, health, transport and education sectors (etc) are living in or close to Akha villages. These people are predominantly male.
2.A number of Akha villages have moved close to the lowland roads and towns making cross-cultural interactions more common and sexual relations more readily achieved. (8-9)

Now, I understand that your real agenda is opposition to attempts by NGOs and the gov’t of Laos to make this tribe give up opium production. That is fine, but you will be much more credible if you crank up the honesty a bit. What I don’t understand is your apparent hate of Norwegians as such, a recurrent trait in your diaries.
Did some Norwegian girl dump you, or what?
- ask on May 23, 2007 at 7:02 pm
  
  Hah,
  Funny, Sirocco.
  I printed the report and Norad’s response and read about half way through on my train ride home.
  I concluded the same way as you, and noted that the project in question is “Drug Demand Reduction and Poverty Alleviation for Ethnic Minorities in Long District”.
  The report describes a number of positive initiatives implemented in support of such objectives.
  I happen to read similar type reports on a fairly regular basis in my work, and in this case I got no sense of obfuscation. The two-person team (of different nationalities, profession and organization) have made a rather detailed assessment of the background and findings. The entry totally misrepresents the report and I am left with the impression that the author’s agenda is really to sabotage a worthy initiative.
- esquimaux on May 23, 2007 at 8:30 pm
  
  thanks sirocco
  
  at first I didn’t even click his link; I figured it was just the same old allegations. I was also afraid it would be in Norwegian. But there it is in good plain English: exactly the OPPOSITE of what the diarist says! WTF!

Norwegian’s Deny Akha Sex Abuse in Laos

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