Surge in abuse complaints against government aid staff

THE foreign aid department has been forced to investigate a soaring number of abuse complaints involving its own staff, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), which is in charge of the aid budget, said 36 “safeguarding” incidents were reported in 2021-22 – the equivalent of three every month. That compares with 12 such incidents reported the previous year.

The cases – where the victim or the subject of complaint is an FCDO staff member – cover sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment; bullying and harassment; and physical abuse.

Of the cases reported in 2021-22, 28 per cent were of such a serious nature that they led to disciplinary action or criminal referral.

It comes in the wake of the charity sex abuse scandal, which has dragged in the likes of Oxfam and Save The Children. It will also be embarrassing for Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, who took over the department from Dominic Raab last September.

The FCDO’S annual report, released last week, said across the aid charity sector, 437 safeguarding cases were reported to the ministry. The cases cover sexual exploitation, abuse and sexual harassment (SEAH), bullying and harassment and physical abuse. Of these, 59 per cent led to disciplinary action or criminal referral.

Separate figures released by the Charity Commission indicate the problem may be even worse. Its annual report revealed that charities – not limited to the aid sector – had reported a total of 3,451 serious incidents. The FCDO report said: “In line with the September 2020 UK safeguarding strategy the FCDO continued to prioritise strong safeguards against [SEAH].

“This applies both internally and in the organisations we fund. We aim to prevent harm to beneficiaries and staff, and to manage related risks that undermine delivery of the sustainable development goals and do reputational damage to the FCDO.”

The FCDO said since 2019, more than 140 perpetrators of SEAH have been stopped from working in the sector.

An FCDO spokesman said: “Significant progress has been made in raising awareness of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and encouraging staff and others who we work with to report incidents when they occur.

“The increase in reporting reflects growing confidence that when concerns are reported they will be investigated and that disciplinary action... is taken when allegations are upheld.”