Red Cross sacks 21 st aff for sexual misconduct

MORE than 20 Red Cross workers have been sacked or have quit their roles since 2015 because of sexual misconduct.

The charity revealed that 21 staff members were either dismissed for paying for sexual services or resigned after internal inquiries. A further two suspected of sexual misconduct did not have their contracts renewed.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the latest charity to make disclosures about staff behaviour following the Oxfam sex scandal. Set up in 1863 to help victims of war, the ICRC said its decentralised structure meant it was ‘difficult to accurately compile overall figures’.

Director-general Yves Daccord said: ‘This behaviour is a betrayal of the people and the communities we are there to serve. It is against human dignity and we should have been more vigilant in preventing this. The ICRC has more than 17,000 staff members worldwide. We are concerned that incidents that should be reported have not yet been reported, or were reported but not properly handled. We are taking action to address this.’

Following the Oxfam scandal, the British Red Cross admitted a ‘small number of cases of harassment reported in the UK’ – believed to be up to five. However, no British workers are among those who have been forced to quit.

Children’s charity Plan International also issued a statement yesterday, admitting ‘six cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of children between July 2016 and June 2017’. One involved a staff member who was dismissed, while the others involved volunteers or partner organisations, whose contracts were terminated. Five of the cases ‘were of a criminal nature’ and were reported to local authorities. During the same period there were nine incidents of sexual harassment or misconduct by staff on other adults, which led to seven dismissals and two warnings about inappropriate language.

Plan International campaigns for children’s rights and provides aid for more than 50 countries.

Its UK chief executive Tanya Barron said: ‘The painful but important truth to acknowledge is that sometimes things can go wrong. When they do, we are deeply sorry.’

None of the incidents involved British staff or citizens.’