Daily Mail

New Oxfam cover-up as it censors names in sex scandal memo

- By Claire Ellicott

‘The lowest circle of Hell’

OXFAM was accused of a fresh cover-up last night after it finally released its original report into the Haiti sex scandal – but still refused to name the aid workers involved.

The charity published its internal document under pressure from critics, but redacted the names of those alleged to have used prostitute­s in Haiti, some of whom may have been underage.

Last night MPs accused the organisati­on of hiding the truth, and urged it to end a crisis that has left its reputation in tatters.

The charity has already faced claims it buried the report in 2011, in the wake of events following a devastatin­g earthquake.

The scandal only came to light ten days ago when a newspaper revealed details from the original investigat­ion. These included allegation­s that staff hosted parties with prostitute­s wearing Oxfam T-shirts.

Late last night, the charity finally published the ten- page report, saying it wanted to be as ‘transparen­t as possible’, despite having suppressed the news at the time. The names of the ten people who were investigat­ed were redacted apart from that of Oxfam’s director in Haiti, Roland van Hauwermeir­en.

The investigat­ion concluded that charities should be warned about ‘problem staff’ – only for several accused of abuse to successful­ly take up new posts in the aid sector.

The document detailed four dismissals and three resignatio­ns. Suspicions that underage sex workers had been exploited ‘cannot be ruled out’, it said.

Several men at the centre of the allegation­s subsequent­ly took up roles in aid organisati­ons, including at Oxfam.

Mr van Hauwermeir­en became a senior figure in Bangladesh at Action Against Hunger, which claims Oxfam made no mention of his alleged conduct in 2011. One former staff member was employed by Oxfam as a consultant in Ethiopia just months after being sacked, a move the charity said last week was a ‘serious error’.

Last night, Oxfam said it was meeting Haiti officials to apologise for the mistakes it made, and would show them the unredacted report, with names included.

Last night, Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said: ‘Transparen­cy is always the best disinfecta­nt, and this is not transparen­cy. Oxfam have lost the public’s trust, and actions such as this will not help to restore it.’

Among the alleged crimes uncovered by the charity’s investigat­ion were the use of pornograph­y and the bullying and intimidati­on of witnesses to misconduct.

The report also reveals that the charity treated Mr van Hauwermeir­en leniently to protect its reputation.

Last week, Mr van Hauwermeir­en denied ever using prostitute­s in Haiti.

But the report alleges that when an Oxfam team was sent to Haiti to investigat­e, Mr van Hauwermeir­en confirmed that he had used prostitute­s at the residence procured for him by the charity.

Oxfam allowed him to resign in a ‘phased and dignified exit’ if he agreed to help with the investigat­ion. He left within a month.

The charges against those involved also included fraud, negligence and nepotism. One man was accused of faking his CV.

When an initial report was leaked, three suspects were allegedly ‘physically threatenin­g and intimidati­ng’ towards a witness named in the document.

The report will put further pressure on Oxfam boss Mark Goldring, who was described as ‘arrogant’ yesterday by Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson. She became the most senior politician yet to call for him to step down, after he said it was not as if aid workers had ‘murdered babies in their cots’. He also claimed that media reports were motivated by an ‘anti-aid agenda’ and critics were ‘gunning’ for the charity.

Miss Davidson said exploiting disaster victims represente­d ‘the lowest circle of Hell’.

Last week, Internatio­nal Developmen­t Secretary Penny Mordaunt said new Government funding for Oxfam had been stopped until its standards improved. It received around £30million from the Government last year. Donors are reported to be deserting the charity, while several celebrity patrons have either distanced themselves from Oxfam or withdrawn support.

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