Disappointed Tutu cuts ties with Oxfam

ARCHBISHOP Emeritus Desmond Tutu is relinquishing his role as a global ambassador for international charity organisation Oxfam, which is embroiled in an alleged sex scandal.

The 86-year-old Nobel Peace Laureate said yesterday he was deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian workers linked to the charity.

He said he was also saddened by the “impact of the allegations on the many thousands of good people who have supported Oxfam’s righteous work”.

“Archbishop Emeritus Tutu has instructed his office to write to Oxfam International to inform them of his retirement as a global ambassador‚” a statement said.

Oxfam faces a growing scandal over its handling of the use of prostitutes – some alleged to be underage – by its staff in Haiti, where sex work is illegal.

In the latest development, a training manual revealed that Oxfam had refused to ban staff from using prostitutes because it would infringe their civil liberties.

The guidance, still on its website, says it strongly discourages its workers from paying for sex but a ban would be impractical.

The same manual reveals Oxfam has dismissed staff for exploiting or abusing beneficiaries or members of the local community in virtually every recent humanitarian response.

In the guidance, issued in 2006, Oxfam trainers addressed why they did not ban sex workers.

Yoma Winder, Oxfam’s global adviser for partnerships and accountability, wrote: “We haven’t banned the use of prostitutes, but we strongly discourage it. We cannot infringe on people’s civil liberties, and it would be impractical to think we could enforce a total ban.”

The charity said its code of conduct had since been updated and now banned paying for sex. – TimesLIVE, The Telegraph