Switzerland withholds funding from Doctors Without Borders over abuse cases

Switzerland has withheld 1.25 million francs in funding from Doctors Without Borders after saying the aid group failed to inform it adequately about sexual abuse cases in Chad. SRF reports that the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is reviewing the case, while the Glückskette continues to work with the organisation.

What happened?

At the end of 2024, women who had fled the war in Sudan to neighbouring Chad made serious allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse against Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff.

MSF investigated 59 allegations of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse involving its employees, temporary workers, suppliers and others. The organisation subsequently dismissed 18 employees.

What are the consequences for MSF?

The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation is providing MSF Switzerland with 6.25 million francs this year. It is withholding 1.25 million francs, saying MSF did not provide sufficient information about the cases in Chad.

The agency requested further information and reports, which MSF says it has supplied. MSF Director General Sarah Epprecht said the agency would inform the organisation of next steps once its review was complete. The agency said the review was still under way and that it continued to reserve the right to commission an external investigation.

MSF reports more than 1,000 complaints a year

MSF said it received 1,122 complaints about abuse and inappropriate conduct in 2025. Of these, 1,021 concerned its medical and humanitarian projects. After review and investigation, 299 complaints were confirmed as cases of abuse or inappropriate conduct.

The number of complaints related to those projects was 18 per cent higher than in 2024, when MSF received 864. Epprecht said all forms of abuse and misconduct were unacceptable and that staff were expected to follow MSF’s conduct rules. The organisation was continually working to improve its prevention measures, she said.

MSF said an increase in reports could indicate that people knew more about its reporting systems and had greater confidence in raising concerns.

Reputation and accountability

Reputation expert Hans-Jakob Boesch said the cases had undeniably damaged MSF’s standing. Abuse allegations weigh heavily on aid organisations because they are expected to meet high ethical and moral standards, he said. Full transparency, a thorough investigation and steps to prevent future abuse could help restore trust.

MSF said it remained committed to full transparency and accountability to the Swiss agency. Boesch said the agency was not directly under criticism but had to show the public that it worked with suitable partners, intervened when incidents occurred and monitored organisations. It should also demand investigations and measures to prevent further cases, he said.

The agency said its partners were contractually required to report abuse cases transparently. The MSF case had shown that the rules needed to be revised, a spokesperson said. The changes are due to take effect in 2027. The agency also holds regular discussions with organisations receiving core funding, including MSF, on protection from sexual abuse.

Abuse allegations in other aid organisations

MSF said no case of abuse was acceptable. Allegations have also affected other organisations: World Health Organization staff in the Democratic Republic of the Congo were accused of sexually exploiting women during the Ebola epidemic from 2018 to 2020, and NGO workers in Haiti were accused of sexually abusing women. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, aid workers and local officials were also alleged to have diverted money from emergency aid programmes.