‘Grotesque charity sex abuse scandal is a wake-up call’
BRITAIN’S Secretary of State for International Development said on Monday the “grotesque” sex abuse scandal that has rocked the aid sector was a “wake-up call” for agencies to get their houses in order, and warned the government would not fund those that failed to do so.
Oxfam came under attack after an expose by Times newspaper this month revealed that staff paid for sex with prostitutes in Haiti after the country’s 2010 earthquake, with the fallout putting other aid charities under the spotlight.
“You cannot promote human rights or the dignity of every human being, whilst paying them for sex, and whilst funding an industry that exploits them,” Penny Mordaunt told the first major aid event since the scandal broke.
An exclusive survey last week found more than 120 staff from leading global charities were fired or lost their jobs in 2017 over sexual misconduct.
In the wake of the #MeToo movement by women against sexual harassment and abuse, 21 global charities were asked to disclose sexual misconduct by staff and any job losses with some quick to release figures while others needed several prompts.
Save the Children and Oxfam gave figures in November. Others, such as ActionAid, Plan International and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) published their data only last week ahead of a government deadline.
The ICRC said 23 staff members had left since 2015 over sexual misconduct, while ActionAid said it had recorded 22 such cases in the last five years with six resulting in dismissals.
Children’s aid charity Plan recorded six cases of sex abuse and child exploitation by staff and associates between July 2016 and June 2017, with action taken in all cases. A further nine incidents of sexual misconduct led to seven dismissals.
Islamic Relief said it would publish its figures in its annual report in September. Action Against Hunger said it was urgently gathering the data.
Compassion International, Catholic Relief Services and Caritas Internationalis said they had received no reports of serious violations.
Ms Mordaunt said charities had failed in their fundamental duty to prioritise the people they were supposed to help.
“We have a real opportunity now to do something lasting and to send a message to predatory individuals that the aid sector is not a safe haven for them,” Ms Mordaunt told the conference organised by Bond, an umbrella group of international development organisations.
She said charities were complicit in the abuse by protecting those responsible, not tackling the problem or turning a blind eye as predatory individuals moved to other organisations.