Abusers ‘should start fund for female victims’
A FORMER female employee at Save The Children last night called for the charity’s chairman, public relations mogul Sir Alan Parker, to step down.
Alexia Pepper de Caires gave Save The Children’s chief executive Kevin Watkins until tomorrow to respond to a list of demands in the wake of the sexual harassment scandal. She also called on Sir Alan and disgraced former executives Brendan Cox and Justin Forsyth to pay compensation to help prevent further sexual harassment.
In an open letter to Mr Watkins, Ms de Caires said: ‘I am one of the many women who suffered at Save The Children while it was overseen by Justin Forsyth and Alan Parker.’ She added that Sir Alan ‘cannot be the best person to lead Save The Children through root and branch reform when he is one of the roots’. Ms de Caires said she had made a statement to the charity in 2015 after witnessing an alleged sexual assault by Mr Cox on another woman who worked there. Disciplinary proceedings against Mr Cox were called off when he resigned suddenly.
Ms de Caires also said she had been ‘left more vulnerable’ when her ‘named witness statement ended up in the hands of [Mr Cox] who left with his reputation intact’. She told Mr Watkins: ‘You will immediately and publicly request contributions to be made by Brendan Cox, Justin Forsyth and Alan Parker for a fund to compensate women for their time in securing safety for women in the workplace.’
A spokesman for Sir Alan denied any wrongdoing, while friends close to him said: ‘He has always insisted that the investigation went further than the charity’s guidelines, with the hiring of a QC and independent trustees. Under his watch, Save The Children has looked after more children and raised more money than ever before.’ A spokesman for Mr Forsyth denied the claims.