Oxfam Sex Scandal: (In)human(e)itarianism and the hypersexualised “adultification” of black girls

Description

As a researcher, I focus on the historical materialism and continuities of colonialism in the present, particularly within international development and humanitarianism. What sat heavy, lodged in my stomach and which furrowed my brow, was the language used in the whistleblowing of the sexual abuse allegations: how a number of publications described the supposed child victims as “underage prostitutes” and “local women” – most of whom are most probably poor and black. When in fact, adults who engage in sexual activity with children below consenting age are sexual predators – and unreservedly so