Britain investigating into Oxfam over Haiti quake sex scandal

LONDON, Feb. 12 — The British government confirmed Saturday it is
reviewing all of its work with Oxfam, one of the country’s best known
charities.

Oxfam is embroiled in a sex scandal after it was revealed staff had engaged
in orgies with prostitutes following the devastating earthquake in Haiti in
2010. British Prime Minister Theresa May has called for a full and urgent
investigation into the charity. A spokesperson for May said: “We want to
see Oxfam provide all the evidence to the Charity Commission of these very
serious allegations.”

The London-based Times newspaper said an investigation it carried out
revealed Oxfam staff in Haiti used prostitutes, and downloaded pornographic
and illegal material, with claims of bullying and intimidation. Reports in
the Times revealed sordid details after how staff, including its local
director, used prostitutes while they were carrying out emergency work
after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. When the allegations first came
to light four staff members were fired and three, including the charity’s
director in Haiti, Roland Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to resign. A
statement at the time by Oxfam did not mention the seven staff had left the
charity for sexual misconduct.

The Times reported how prostitutes were used at a villa rented in Haiti by
Oxfam for Van Hauwermeiren, a Belgian national. The Oxfam staff were part
of the relief effort following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that killed
more than 200,000 people in Haiti in 2010. Oxfam received more than 44
million U.S. dollars from DFID last year to help towards its global relief
and humanitarian work.Britain’s Department for International Development
(DFID) announced it is reviewing all its work with Oxfam, adding in a
statement the charity had to answer “serious questions”. The government’s
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt has also requested a
meeting with Oxfam’s senior team at the earliest opportunity to discuss the
allegations.

A DFID spokesperson said serious questions had been raised for Oxfam about
the way the appalling abuse of vulnerable people was dealt with. The
spokesperson added: “We have a zero tolerance policy for the type of
activity that took place in this instance, and we expect our partners to as
well. We often work with organisations in chaotic and difficult
circumstances. If wrongdoing, abuse, fraud, or criminal activity occur we
need to know about it immediately, in full.” Oxfam’s CEO Mark Goldring
strongly denied Saturday that the charity had covered up the incident.
“We were very open with the public that we were ashamed of the behavior of
our staff. We still are,”Goldring said. He said in a radio interview
Saturday: “As we speak, aid workers, who are behaving well, are delivering
lifesaving assistance with public money across the world and we should be
proud of that, whilst we are ashamed of what we got wrong.”

In its report Saturday the Times said some of the former Oxfam staff
involved in the scandal, including Van Hauwermeiren, went on to work for
other aid charities. Oxfam was founded in 1942 by a group of people
including academics from Oxford University, with the aim of providing
famine relief following global disasters. It raises more than 400 million
U.S. dollars a year in donations, sponsorships and government grants. – XINHUA