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The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday kicked off a two-day workshop aimed at raising awareness among Ethiopian women and chilren about the possible threat of sexual abuse during a humanitarian crisis.

"Sexual abuse and exploitation are risks that must be factored in when developing all of our programming," UNICEF workshop coordinator, Joanne Dunn, said in a statement.

Dunn said the workshop aims to inform UN staff, NGOs, stakeholders, law enforcement officials, child welfare advocates, and the beneficiaries themselves on how to combat this problem.

"In situations where humanitarian crisis exists, chances of abuse increases, because of the level of need and desperation on the part of women and children," Kenyan-based sexual exploitation expert, Jennifer Nduku Kiiti, said.