The International Planned Parenthood Federation reportedly hired prostitutes for staff, donors, and guests at official functions. The Daily Mail broke the story in May, but the scandal has apparently been brewing for months, as the U.K.’s Department of International Developmentcame under fire in January for donating £132 million of aid money to the group during investigations of sexual misconduct into the notorious abortion giant.
Internal documents related to the case reveal repeated claims of sexual harassment, bullying, abusive conduct, and intimidation of whistleblowers — for example, the transmission of a pornographic video to a female executive in order to terrify her into silence. These shocking allegations raise the question of whether or not abortion providers are being held to high enough standards, and why an organization so deeply mired in scandal should receive so much public support.
Some of the most troubling accusations made against the International Planned Parenthood Federation came from Lucien Kouakou, a former regional director in Africa who, after being dismissed over sexual misconduct allegations, revealed the group had been offering “sexual gifts” to guests at African events for years. In an email Kouakou sent to the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s headquarters in London, Kouakou accused the organization’s general director, Alvaro Bermejo, of telling him that under previous leadership, there had been “promoting of prostitution within the organization, where prostitutes would be organized for IPPF staff, donors and partners during functions.” This accusation is incredibly alarming, and it was repeated in Kenyan court documents, where it was also added that “young volunteers within the region were being offered to invitee guests during African gatherings and functions for sex or sexual pleasure.”
The Charity Commission has opened a regulatory compliance case, and due to the large scope of the scandal, Bermejo initially offered his resignation before rescinding it, expressing a desire to transform the organization. But corruption of this magnitude has led to all 45 International Planned Parenthood Federation member associations in the Western Hemisphere — including those in the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, and Canada — to dissociate from the London-based federation. The staff has been forced to admit that “IPPF is in a major crisis.” These serious accusations of sexual abuse expose a deep corruption taking place within the organization, and the exposure of such sordid acts of sexual misconduct reveals a darker side to the supposedly compassionate family-planning charity.
It raises the question as to why Britain's Department for International Development is still providing funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation despite having full knowledge of the accusations against them. The £132 million that the department provided to the group in January was for a two-year program. This contradicts the stance the agency took after the Oxfam Sex Scandal, where the Department for International Development pledged to withhold funds from charities that did not make a serious effort to confront sexual exploitation. Still, the department has yet to take a firm position against the International Planned Parenthood Federation, even with such egregious allegations of misconduct. In fact, this past April even saw the department choose IPPF to lead a consortium to promote “Sexual Reproductive Health Rights” in six developing countries.
The Department for International Development does not seem to be at all deterred in their support of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, but given their support for Marie Stopes International despite scandals associated with that organization, perhaps it is not entirely unsurprising. In 2016, Marie Stopes International had been forced to suspend abortion services due to concerns raised for patient safety, but the department still awarded that group and the International Planned Parenthood Federation £42 million to promote safe abortion in developing countries.
The horrific accusations against IPPF and the lack of any disciplinary action against the abortion group sets a troubling standard for organizations claiming to stand for reproductive rights. The continued support of the organization is concerning, as there is a clear preference to promote abortion overseas instead of holding charities accountable for crimes against women. Even with the accusations against the International Planned Parenthood Federation being public knowledge, Baroness Liz Sugg, the parliamentary under secretary of state, declared that she was “proud” of the U.K. for championing abortion overseas. It appears nothing will stop some progressives from defending abortion providers — not even criminal activity.
Samantha Kamman covers abortion for LoneConservative.com.
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