The United Nations got 40 complaints of sexual exploitation and abuse within its system between October and December 2017. These complaints involved 54 victims, and were received across UN agencies, peacekeeping missions, programmes as well as implementing partners, Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the secretary general, said on Thursday.

The victims included 30 women and 16 girls, while the ages of the others were not known, Dujarric said. Twelve of the cases involved alleged incidents from 2017, seven were from 2016 and three from 2015 or earlier. Two cases have been “substantiated” through investigation while three have not been. The other cases are under investigation, Dujarric said.

He said that “combating this scourge” and helping victims would be “key priorities” for Secretary General António Guterres this year.

“Every allegation involving our personnel undermines our values and principles and the sacrifice of those who serve with pride and professionalism in some of the most dangerous places in the world,” Dujarric said.

The statement came a day after United Nations Children’s Fund official Justin Forsyth resigned from his post of deputy executive chief. Complainants accused Forsyth of sending inappropriate text messages and commenting on what young female staff were wearing during his stint as chief executive officer of Save the Children foundation.

In January, The Guardian had reported on impunity for sexual abuse in the UN. “Dozens of current and former UN employees described a culture of silence across the organisation and a flawed grievance system that is stacked against victims,” the newspaper wrote.

Peacekeeping forces in Central African Republic and Haiti have particularly been under focus for allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse.