Aid sector also hit with abuse claims

Two major charities reveal they sacked dozens of workers over sexual misconduct

LONDON: As sexual harassment scandals hit Hollywood and beyond, reports of abuse have also rocked the charity sector, with two major aid groups revealing they sacked dozens of staff members over sexual misconduct in the last year.

International humanitarian group Save the Children said it fired 16 staff members over reports of sexual harassment in the past year.

The aid agency was the only charity contacted by journalists this week that publicly revealed these figures. British aid group Oxfam last week said it dismissed 22 staff in the year ending April 2017.

Other charities declined to reveal the number of sex abuse cases they had received, with some saying these figures were not centrally collated, or were handled by a third party.

There has been heightened global attention around sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace in the wake of dozens of allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein.

Weinstein has denied having non-consensual sex with anyone.

Save the Children said it received 31 allegations of sex abuse over the last year, and referred 10 cases to authorities.

“Unfortunately, there are incidents of sexual harassment in every sector and every country around the world, and the aid sector is no exception,” a spokesman for Save The Children said.

“We welcome transparency and accountability in the international development and humanitarian sector,” added the group, which employs about 25,000 people around the world.

Aid groups International Committee of the Red Cross, Plan International, CARE International, Norwegian Refugee Council and Mercy Corps said in email statements that they had strict policies to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace, but most admitted it remained an under-reported issue.

The International Rescue Committee and World Vision had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publishing.

Britain’s charity regulator said aid groups must do more to foster a culture of safety to tackle sexual harassment in the workplace.

“The public places high levels of trust in charities, and expects those running them to strive for the highest standards of management and care,” a spokesman for the Charity Commission said. — Reuters