Oxfam criticised over Haiti sex claims
REUTERS
Oxfam has been severely criticised by the Charity Commission for the way it dealt with claims of serious sexual misconduct by its staff in Haiti.
The commission said there was a "culture of poor behaviour" at the charity, and issued it with an official warning over its "mismanagement".
Last year Oxfam was accused of covering up claims staff sexually exploited victims of the 2010 earthquake.
Oxfam accepted the findings, saying what happened in Haiti was "shameful".
Claims first emerged in The Times last year that Oxfam employees, including former country director Roland van Hauwermeiren, used young prostitutes while based in Haiti after the earthquake.
An internal Oxfam investigation in 2011 led to four people being sacked and three others resigning, including Mr Van Hauwermeiren.
But a report published by Oxfam after the investigation failed to mention sexual exploitation.
The charity commission said the incidents in Haiti identified in 2011 were not "one-offs", with evidence of behavioural issues as early as June 2010.
VRT
Tuesday's report, following an 18-month investigation, found the charity failed to listen to warnings - including from its own staff - that it repeatedly fell below standards expected on safeguarding, and did not meet promises it made.
Its findings included:
- Oxfam failed to adequately investigate allegations that children as young as 12 or 13 were victims of sexual misconduct by a charity "boss"
- It did not report allegations of child abuse by charity staff in Haiti
- Oxfam was not as full and frank as it should have been over the Haiti incident
- Treated some senior staff more leniently than junior staff over Haiti
"What went wrong in Haiti did not happen in isolation," Charity Commission chief executive Helen Stephenson said.
"Over a period of years, Oxfam's internal culture tolerated poor behaviour, and at times lost sight of the values it stands for."
Oxfam's internal investigation into Haiti, following allegations by a whistleblower in 2011, could not conclude whether minors were involved in some of the incidents.
Two allegations of physical abuse, made by email from a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old girl, were "suspected" not to be genuine by Oxfam at the time.
The Charity Commission said Oxfam should have tried harder to substantiate the claims at the time, despite the lack of evidence.
'Abuse of power'
Oxfam's chair of trustees, Caroline Thomson, said the charity accepted the findings, describing them as "uncomfortable".
"What happened in Haiti was shameful and we are deeply sorry," she said.
"It was a terrible abuse of power and an affront to the values that Oxfam holds dear."
She added: "We now know that the 2011 investigation and reporting of what happened in Haiti was flawed; more should have been done to establish whether minors were involved."
The decision to allow Mr Hauwermeiren to resign without a fuller investigation into his conduct would not be permitted under current policies and practices, she said.
The Times had reported that Oxfam was aware of concerns about the conduct of Mr Van Hauwermeiren and another man when they worked in Chad before they were given senior roles in Haiti.
After the claims emerged, Haiti banned Oxfam GB from operating inside its borders and thousands of people stopped making regular donations to the charity.
Oxfam has also not been able to bid for Department for International Development funding pending the outcome of the 18-month Charity Commission investigation.
International Development Secretary Rory Stewart said the revelations about Oxfam had "shone a light on fundamental problems", adding that there were "no easy answers or room for complacency".
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