Charities must show lessons are learned

Humanitarian organisations have to do everything in their power to prevent the repetition of sex scandal

The shockwaves created by the Oxfam sex scandal continue to impact on the entire charity sector. Weeks after it emerged that senior figures had sexually exploited victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, it is now clear that the problem of predators infiltrating charities extends beyond Oxfam. A number of charities, including Save The Children and Unicef, have also admitted mishandling cases of sexual exploitation or harassment.

The exposure of a number of similar scandals points to a culture of secrecy in a sector where reputation is everything; abuse was hushed up because knowledge of the truth would turn donors away.

This strategy may have been wellintentioned but it was morally indefensible. The victims of abuse must always be heard. It is perfectly understandable that a great many donors to Oxfam and other organisations tainted by scandal have decided to stop their direct debits. But while such a step is entirely justified, the singer Annie Lennox – an ambassador for Oxfam – makes a good point when she says the charity is often first to help in a crisis.

Ms Lennox is quite right when she says that the loss of support from Oxfam would represent a real tragedy for many people. Of course, charities embroiled in sex scandals cannot expect their reputations to be restored overnight; Oxfam and others will have to work hard to restore public confidence.

A good start would be for them to listen carefully to the words of International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt who, in advance of a summit which will be held in London later today, told charities and regulatory bodies that this was a “crucial moment” and that they must introduce measures to ensure whistleblowers are protected and survivors of exploitation and abuse are given counselling and support.

The Secretary of State also called for the creation of a new independent body to provide scrutiny and the introduction of new standards of referencing and vetting.

Ms Mordaunt is correct to identify this as a crucial moment; charities which fail to recognise this will deserve to fail. The charity sector must show it has learned lessons from recent scandals and it must act promptly. We hope people will continue to give generously to organisations working in danger zones across the world. We also expect charities to do everything in their power to prevent repetition of the sort of cases at the root of the crisis.