Aid group refuses no-sex clause for workers

Blindness charity still allows relationships with recipients despite curbs on Government employees

ONE of the Government’s foreign aid partners is refusing to ban sex with aid recipients despite the Oxfam scandal, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose.

An investigation found that Sightsavers, which provides international development work for the blind and visually impaired, does not stop its staff having a sexual relationship with those who receive aid. Instead, it bans “any form of exploitative or abusive relationship with a beneficiary” but “it is entirely possible” staff could be in “completely normal and consensual relationships”.

It came after The Telegraph revealed the Government was to ban all its direct employees from having sexual relationships with aid recipients, terming it “gross misconduct”, whereas before it was only “strongly discouraged.” The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office said this did not extend to its contracted partners, which had their own policies.

Sarah Champion MP, chairman of the International Development Committee, said relationships between aid workers and those they help cannot be completely consensual.

She said: “In 2018 the Government led an international summit on tackling sexual violence in the aid sector. They’re now being made to look like hypocrites by the companies they subcontract aid work to. There is always a power imbalance between aid workers and beneficiaries. So for the avoidance of doubt, I would prevent all sexual relationships, as consent would never be clear cut.

“The Government needs to show zero tolerance to sexual exploitation of aid beneficiaries; if their subcontractors can’t guarantee that, don’t fund them.”

Two other organisations partnered with the Government also did not ban the practice, instead saying they were committed to stopping transactional, abusive or exploitative relationships.

The three organisations – Mott MacDonald, the London School of Economics and Sightsavers – said their policies did not class all sexual relationships by staff as gross misconduct.

A Sightsavers spokesman said: “Anyone involved in any form of exploitative or abusive relationship with a beneficiary will be sacked. No ifs or buts.”

A spokesman for Mott MacDonald said: “We are committed to eradicating abusive, exploitative and harassing behaviours throughout the aid sector and are driving forward efforts to raise standards in humanitarian assistance and international development work.”

The LSE said: “The contract with

FCDO contains relevant safeguarding clauses in relation to workers terms and conditions. This includes sexual misconduct in its definition of ‘serious’ or gross misconduct. The relevant safeguarding clauses specifically refer to transactional sex, which includes with those receiving aid, as serious misconduct.” The FCDO said it would take “swift action” if it found an organisation not upholding its standards.

In 2018, Oxfam was embroiled in a scandal in which several staff were sacked after allegations of sexual exploitation in earthquake-stricken Haiti.