Oxfam worker reported three cases of misconduct in a day

Oxfam’s former global head of safeguarding said that she reported as many as three complaints of sexual misconduct made against the charity’s overseas staff in one day.

Helen Evans said there two cases of women being coerced into sex in exchange for aid and one case of an Oxfam staff member who had not disclosed that he had been struck off for sexual abuse.

The whistle-blower told Channel 4 news: “There was one of a woman being coerced to have sex in a humanitarian response by another aid worker; another case where a woman had been coerced in exchange for aid; and another one where it had come to our attention where a member of staff had been struck off for sexual abuse and hadn’t disclosed that, and we were concerned about what he might be doing. That was three allegations in one day.”

Ms Evans said claims made against Oxfam’s staff in Haiti were not an “isolated incident” and allegations had flooded in once the charity had improved its method for reporting abuse.

Her testimony came as the UK’s charity commission opened an inquiry yesterday into allegations of misconduct by the charity’s aid workers during a humanitarian relief mission in 2011. The inquiry comes amid threats by the British government to cut funding to Oxfam projects.

A report by British newspaper The Times last week claimed Oxfam had tried to cover up the findings of an inquiry, which concluded that its staff in Haiti had paid prostitutes for sex.

The newspaper said the international charity, which has its headquarters in Oxford, UK, had sacked four members of staff involved, while allowing three others to resign.

Oxfam’s director in Haiti, Roland van Hauwermeiren, who admitted using prostitutes at an Oxfam villa, was one of the three staff allowed to resign.

Yesterday, Mr Van Hauwermeiren was accused of sexual misconduct while working at another British charity in Liberia in 2004.

The scandal has already led to the resignation of Oxfam’s deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence, who quit on Monday.

An Oxfam spokesperson responded to Ms Evans’ claims, saying: “We regret that we did not act on Helen’s concerns much quicker and with more resources.”