THIS
THIS IS
THIS IS A
THIS IS A TOP CONCERN FOR SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU, MORGAN.
LEADERS OF MERCY CORPS, THE
PORTALND BASED INTERNATIONAL
AID GROUP SAID THEY ARE
HORRIFIED BY THE FINDINGS OF A
NEW INVESTIGATION ABOUT PAST
SEX ABUSE BY ITS CO-FOUNDER.
MUCH OF THE ABUSE WAS FOCUSED
ON HIS DAUGHTER WHO TRIED FOR
YEARS TO TELL ADULTS WHAT WAS
HAPPENING.
HAPPENING. AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT BY THE
OREGONIAN IN TWENTY NINETEEN
FIRST BROUGHT THE ABUSE TO
LIGHT A WARNING.
NOW THIS STORY HAS FRANK
DESCRIPTIONS OF SEXUAL ABUSE.
PAT DOORIS REPORTS.
>> TONYA KOBER HUMPHREY IS
WEARY.
WEARY.
WEARY. IT'S BEEN AND AN EXHAUSTING
COUPLE OF YEARS.
I'M TIRED.
I'M TIRED. I'M TIRED.
I'M TIRED. >> SHE MAY NOT FEEL LIKE IT
TALKING IN A HOTEL LOBBY BUT
SHE'S PROBABLY ONE OF THE
TOUGHEST FIGHTERS IN THE WORLD
FOR DECADES SHE TRIED TO TELL
POWERFUL ADULTS IN POSITIONS TO
DO SOMETHING THAT HER REVERED
FATHER ELSWORTH
FATHER ELSWORTH COVER CO-FOUNDER OF MERCY CORPS
HAD SEXUALLY ABUSED HER
AND OTHER GIRLS.
SHE SAID IT HAPPENED BOTH IN
PORTLAND AND OVERSEAS THAT ONE
GIRL DIED AS A RESULT AND SHE
WAS IGNORED.
WAS IGNORED. MERCY CORPS IS AN INTERNATIONAL
RELIEF AGENCY BASED IN PORTLAND
THAT WORKS ON THE FRONT LINES
OF CRISIS AROUND THE WORLD.
NOW A YEAR AND A HALF AFTER THE
OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER
OREGONIAN NEWSPAPER INVESTIGATED CULVER HUMPHREY'S
ALLEGATIONS AND FOUND THEM
CREDIBLE, A SECOND
INVESTIGATION PAID FOR BY MERCY
CORPS BACK THAT UP.
THEY INTERVIEWED CULVER COMFREY
FOR ONE HUNDRED HOURS
AND FORWARDED THE NAMES
OF OTHER POSSIBLE PERPETRATORS
NO LONGER WITH MERCY CORPS TO
LAW ENFORCEMENT.
LAW ENFORCEMENT. >> ON THE ONE HAND I I'M REALLY
I'M REALLY PLEASED THAT THERE'S
ACCOUNTABILITY AND VALIDATION
AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT'S HUGE.
THAT'S WHAT I WANTED.
>> BUT SHE ALSO WANTS MORE.
SHE WANTS YOU TO KNOW
INTERNATIONAL AID WORKERS ARE
IN UNIQUE POSITIONS OF POWER
OVER THE VULNERABLE AND THAT IT
WOULD BE EASY FOR A PERPETRATOR
LIKE HER OWN FATHER TO ABUSE
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN.
CHILDREN. I FEEL I FEEL A HUGE WEIGHT
OF RESPONSIBILITY AS YOU KEEP
TELLING US THEIR STORIES AND MY
STORY SHE WANTS YOU TO HEAR
ABOUT A DISTURBING INCIDENT
THAT HAPPENED WHILE SHE WAS
NINE YEARS OLD IN ON A TRIP TO
THAILAND WITH HER FATHER.
>> THE DETAILS ARE GRUSOME YOU
MAY NOT WANT TO HEAR IT AT
FIRST ANOTHER AID WORKER WAS
INVOLVED WITH JUST ME.
UH, WHERE HE RAPED ME AND HURT
ME AND THEN SHE WAS BROUGHT
THIS IS A PICTURE OF TANYA WHEN
SHE WAS NINE AT THAT HOTEL
BANGKOCK SHE SAID SHE WAS TOLD
TO BE GOOD AT SEX BECAUSE IT
WOULD HELP OTHER CHILDREN.
>> THE THING THAT I WAS TOLD
WAS THAT DIDN'T I WANT TO DO A
GOOD JOB LIKE THEY KNEW HOW
MUCH I CARED ABOUT THE REFUGEES
BECAUSE I HAD JUST BEEN TO THE
REFUGEE CAMP.
REFUGEE CAMP. I JUST BEEN LET LOOSE TO PLAY
WITH THESE KIDS WHO HAD NOTHING
THEY CARED ABOUT AND I DIDN'T
FEEL GUILTY THAT I WAS THE ONLY
ONE WITH A BED, SHE SAID A
LOCAL NINE YEAR OLD WAS BROUGHT
IN AND HER FATHER AND THE OTHER
MAN SEXUALLY ABUSED THEM BOTH
AND LATER IT TURNED VIOLENT.
HE CHOKED ME BUT I DIDN'T DAY I
SAW THEM CHOKING HER AND NEVER
REMEMBER HER WAKING UP.
THEY PUT HER IN THE BED WITH ME
TO TAKE CARE OF HER WHICH MADE
ME FEEL EVEN WORSE BECAUSE I
FELT LIKE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO
TAKE CARE OF HER.
>> SHE SPENT THE NIGHT NEXT TO
THE GIRL AND THAT IN THE
MORNING THE GIRL WAS DEAD.
THE MOST RECENT INVESTIGATORS
SAID THEY COULD NOT VERIFY THE
CHILD'S DEATH BUT THAT THE
TIMES AND DATES OF THE TRIP TO
BANGKOCK DID MATCH TANYA'S
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. THE HORRORS LASTED UNTIL TANYA
CULVER HUMPHREY WAS IN HER
TEENS.
TEENS.
TEENS. MERCY CORPS CALLED THE REPORT
FINDINGS ABHORRENT.
FINDINGS ABHORRENT. >> THE CURRENT CEO THANK TANYA
FOR HER COURAGE AND PERSISTENT
APOLOGIZED FOR THE ACTIONS
OF PAST LEADERS AND PROMISED TO
CONTINUE STRENGTHENING SYSTEMS
OF ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY
.
.
. NOW
. NOW ALL
. NOW ALL THESE YEARS LATER SHE
CAN NOT FORGET DOESN'T WANT