Charity text scandal boss ‘should quit’
SAVE the Children supported its former chief executive getting a top job at Unicef and paid him a £20,000 bonus despite uncovering evidence of his “inappropriate behaviour and comments” towards young female staff members.
Unicef, the world’s leading children’s organisation, confirmed that it was given a reference by Save the Children before Justin Forsyth was hired in 2016 that made no mention of the internal probes into his behaviour.
Mr Forsyth’s job was in the balance last night, with Unicef saying that it was “continuing to work with him and Save the Children to get a better understanding of the facts”.
One senior Conservative MP said that Mr Forsyth should resign and that the Government should review the hundreds of millions of pounds it gives to Save the Children and Unicef every year.
Pauline Latham, the Tory MP and a member of the House of Commons’ international development committee, said: “It’s outrageous. It is completely unacceptable that he should have a job at such a senior level at Unicef when he is not a fit person to have that role. He should resign or leave now.”
She added: “We need to review funding for Save the Children, for Unicef, for the entire sector in light of this behaviour.” Mr Forsyth quit Save the Children and joined Unicef as its deputy executive director in early 2016.
The charity admitted this week that an internal investigation found Mr Forsyth had made “unsuitable and thoughtless” comments to women in 2011 and 2015.
A spokesman for Unicef in New York told The Daily Telegraph last night it received a reference from Save The Children vouching for Mr Forsyth but no mention was made of the internal investigations because “informal mediation is confidential”.
The spokesman added: “Unicef was not aware of the complaints against Mr Forsyth at the time of his recruitment. We continue to work with him and Save the Children to get a better understanding of the facts. There have been no such complaints at Unicef. Mr Forsyth is a passionate and effective advocate for children.”
Accounts show that Mr Forsyth received a £22,560 bonus as part of his £163,000 annual pay in 2012, a year after some of the claims first emerged.
The investigations were organised by Sir Alan Parker, Save the Children’s chairman who runs Brunswick, a City PR firm. Sir Alan also sat on the charity’s performance and remuneration committee that set the pay for Mr Forsyth and other executives. Sir Alan, who quit as chairman of Save the Children in 2015 but remains chairman of its international arm, declined to answer a series of questions from The Telegraph last night.
A spokesman for Save the Children said: “We are currently in discussion with Unicef about Mr Forsyth.”
The women who complained about Mr Forsyth told the BBC he sent them a “barrage” of text messages that left them feeling deeply uncomfortable.
♦ Ministers have overruled MPS who tried to block Baroness Stowell of Beeston from being appointed the new head of the charities regulator, insisting she remained the best person for the role.