Further claims of Oxfam misconduct
CHARITY: Oxfam has received 26 allegations of misconduct since the Haiti prostitution scandal erupted two weeks ago, charity chiefs have revealed.
Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, said that 16 of the claims stemmed from abroad, while 10 came from the UK.
Thousands cancel their donations to charity OXFAM HAS received 26 allegations of misconduct since the Haiti sex scandal erupted two weeks ago, charity chiefs have revealed.
Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB’s chief executive, said 16 of the claims stemmed from abroad, while 10 came from the UK.
Giving evidence to the Commons International Development Committee, Mr Goldring said around 7,000 people had cancelled regular donations to Oxfam over the past 10 days, adding that corporate sponsors appeared to be “reserving judgment”.
Mr Goldring publicly apologised for the actions of charity staff who sexually exploited female victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
And he also apologised for his own comments which appeared to play down the seriousness of the scandal, when he told a newspaper that the charity was being attacked as if it had “murdered babies in their cots”.
The parliamentary hearing comes in the wake of the news of resignations and dismissals of Oxfam staff in Haiti following allegations of “sex parties” involving prostitutes.
Asked how many more revelations had come to his notice since newspaper reports of the Haiti scandal emerged earlier this month, Mr Goldring said: “Across Oxfam Great Britain we have had about 26 stories, reports come to us which were either new reports come out as a result of the stories, or earlier stories where people said, ‘I didn’t necessarily report this at the time’. Over an extended period of time, I am not talking about recent cases.
“We really want people to come forward wherever they are and whenever this happened. Some of those cases relate to the UK, some of them relate to our international programme.”
Mr Goldring apologised after committee chairman Stephen Twigg said that the parallel the charity chief drew with the murder of babies in an interview with the Guardian was regarded by many people as “grossly inappropriate”.
Mr Goldring responded: “I do apologise. I was under stress, I’d given many interviews, I’d made many decisions to try to lead Oxfam’s response to this. I was thinking about amazing work I’ve seen Oxfam do across the world, most recently with refugees coming from Myanmar. I should not have said those things. It is not for Oxfam to judge issues of proportionality or motivation.”
Oxfam International’s executive director Winnie Byanyima told the committee: “Some hideous men came into our organisation and abused the trust of the British people, the supporters. But they were able to get away, to get a recommendation to leave. This was wrong.”
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaun told the Commons Oxfam “failed” under the watch of two former executives who may have deliberately “misled” about wrongdoing in Haiti. She said the charity “failed under the watch of Barbara Stocking and Penny Lawrence” by not reporting and following up incidents of wrongdoing. She also issued a warning to the UN they could have to continue their aid work without British money.
We really want people to come forward wherever they are Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam GB appeals to sexual harassment victims