Scandal was not ‘sex for aid’, insists Oxfam

Charity says it did not flag up Haiti sexual misconduct claims because prostitutes were not ‘beneficiaries’

OXFAM bosses did not tell the Government about the Haiti prostitute scandal in 2011 because they concluded staff were not guilty of exchanging “sex for aid”, the charity claimed last night.

Mark Goldring, the chief executive since 2013, will today try to save his job after Penny Mordaunt, the International Development Secretary, accused the charity of failing in its “moral leadership”. He and other senior executives will meet with the Government today in an attempt to explain why Oxfam allegedly covered up revelations about its staff sleeping with prostitutes in Haiti in the wake of the devastating earthquake in 2010.

But in an extraordinary development, The Daily Telegraph has learned that the charity’s bosses will claim the matter was not flagged up properly at the time because the prostitutes involved were “not beneficiaries”, there was “no misuse of funds” and there was no “sex for aid”.

Last night, Mr Goldring admitted it was “highly likely” public donations would have fallen in 2011 if the public had been made aware of the scandal, but continued to insist there was no cover-up. As the 75-year-old charity battled to save its reputation, Ms Mordaunt warned that she was considering cutting off the £30 million of Government aid Oxfam gets each year.

She said: “If the moral leadership at the top of the organisation is not there then we cannot have you as a partner.”

Last week, it emerged that seven members of Oxfam’s team in Haiti – including Roland van Hauwermeiren, the head of operations – had resigned or been sacked for sexual misconduct in 2011. A whistleblower had informed charity bosses that prostitutes, some of whom were possibly under age, had been entertained at Oxfam properties in Haiti. The charity carried out an internal investigation into the allegations, but has been accused of “lying” to the Charity Commission and the Department for International Development (DFID) about the findings.

At the weekend Mr Goldring, who earns around £125,000 a year, admitted the organisation had failed to detail fully the nature of the 2011 scandal, but steadfastly denied that it amounted to a cover-up.

He said: “With hindsight, I would much prefer that we had talked about (the) sexual misconduct, but I don’t think it was in anyone’s best interest to be describing the details of the behaviour in a way that was actually going to draw extreme attention to it.”

Ms Mordaunt said not disclosing the full picture was “a scandal” and today’s meeting would be a chance “to see if they are displaying the moral leadership that I think they need to now”. She told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show: “What is so disturbing about Oxfam is that when this was reported to them, they completely failed to do the right thing.”

She said Oxfam had told DFID it was investigating “misconduct”, but had not given details as to the nature of the allegations and had reassured officials there was no harm to any “beneficiaries”. But asked if that was a “lie”, Ms Mordaunt replied: “Well, quite.”

She also said she expected Oxfam to pass details of the allegations to the British police, who have the power to prosecute UK nationals for offences committed overseas. Following today’s meeting Oxfam’s bosses will also hold talks with the Charity Commission, who were also not made fully aware of the nature of the allegations.

The charity has confirmed that following the revelations staff have come forward to express concern about the recruitment and vetting of staff. Last night Caroline Thomson, Oxfam’s chairman of trustees, said the charity was determined to learn from what had happened.

Over the weekend, it also emerged that some of those embroiled in the scandal, including Mr Van Hauwermeiren, went on to find other jobs in the charity and aid sector. Addressing those concerns, an Oxfam spokesman said: “With up to 10,000 NGOS working in Haiti alone in 2011, not to mention hundreds of thousands of aid workers in countries around the world, it was unfortunately not possible for Oxfam to ensure that those found guilty of sexual misconduct were not re-employed in the sector.”

However, far from disgraced workers having to cover up their previous employment records, it has emerged that many received recommendations and references from Oxfam. Mr Van Hauwermeiren received a positive reference when he took up a position with Action Against Hunger in Bangladesh, a post he held for two years.