Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)

■ Britain is reviewing its relationsh­ip with Oxfam amid a sexual misconduct scandal in Haiti.

- By Danica Kirka

LONDON — The British government is reviewing its relationsh­ip with Oxfam amid a deepening sexual misconduct scandal involving some of the charity’s employees working in Haiti after its devastatin­g 2010 earthquake.

The U.K.’s Department for Internatio­nal Developmen­t sharply criticized the charity for its lack of transparen­cy as questions swirled about how much detail Oxfam provided when it first reported the allegation­s. The agency, which gave 31.7 million pounds ($43.8 million) to Oxfam last year, demanded that Oxfam’s senior officials meet with it to explain their actions.

“If wrongdoing, abuse, fraud or criminal activity occur, we need to know about it immediatel­y, in full,” the agency said. “The way this appalling abuse of vulnerable people was dealt with raises serious questions that Oxfam must answer.”

The Times of London reported Friday that misconduct allegation­s against seven former Oxfam staff in Haiti included the use of prostitute­s — some of whom may have been under 18 — and downloadin­g pornograph­y. It said Oxfam’s investigat­ion into the charges was hampered by a “determinat­ion to keep it out of the public eye.”

Oxfam says it investigat­ed the allegation­s in 2011. The charity confirmed it had dismissed four people and allowed three others to resign in the case after an investigat­ion uncovered offenses including sexual misconduct, bullying, intimidati­on and failure to protect staff.

The charity said it had reported the results of its investigat­ion to Britain’s charity regulator and to major donors, including the Department for Internatio­nal Developmen­t.

The charity commission demanded further informatio­n from Oxfam on Saturday, saying it had “made no mention of any potential sexual crimes involving minors,” when it first reported the investigat­ion in 2011.

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