USAID Records Detail Child Sex Crimes, Labor Abuse and Social Media Threats
Damning internal reports obtained via FOIA show USAID probed allegations of bribery, child labor, and sexual abuse of children at humanitarian organizations it funds, as well as social media threats posted from its own employee.
Samantha Power, administrator of USAID, listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, March 23, 2021.
Photographer: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPAWelcome back, FOIA Files readers! The United States Agency for International Development, or USAID, is a massive federal government agency with an annual budget of more than $40 billion. What happens inside the bowels of such a behemoth? Keep reading to find out. Sneak peek: All that taxpayer money changing hands sometimes papers over corruption, abuse and scandal. If you’re not already getting FOIA Files in your inbox, sign up here.
It can be daunting to keep track of all USAID’s projects. It funds a ton of humanitarian work around the world, such as gaining access to clean water in Indonesia or building schools in Pakistan. It has a global staff of more than 10,000, operates in more than 100 countries, and works with 4,000 different firms. Perhaps not surprisingly then, USAID has faced its fair share of scandals over the years. It’s also often accused by foreign governments of being a front for the CIA (you’ll definitely want to read to the end).