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Charities warned after Oxfam Haiti prostitute claims Penny Mordaunt: Oxfam 'failed in moral leadership'
(about 5 hours later)
Charities doing overseas aid work will lose funding if they fail to cooperate over safeguarding issues, warned the international development secretary. Oxfam failed in its "moral leadership" in how it handled allegations about sexual misconduct by aid workers in Haiti, Penny Mordaunt has said.
Penny Mordaunt said it was "despicable" that sexual exploitation and abuse still existed in the aid sector. The international development secretary is meeting the charity on Monday and warns it cannot remain a "partner" if it fails to account for its actions.
Her comments come after Oxfam workers were accused of using prostitutes in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake. She has written to all organisations funded by her department, telling them to report any safeguarding issues.
Oxfam said it was "dismayed by what happened" and would fully cooperate with authorities. All of these would be followed up, she told the BBC's Andrew Marr.
The UK-based charity said it had already set up a whistleblowing hotline to prevent sexual abuse and misconduct. Oxfam has faced growing criticism over the way it handled the allegations that some of its staff used prostitutes in Haiti, while they were there as part of the relief effort in the aftermath of the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people in 2010.
Oxfam received nearly £32m from the government in the last financial year. Its own investigation into the allegations led to four people being sacked and three others resigning - among them its country director for Haiti, Roland van Hauwermeiren.
Ms Mordaunt said she was writing to all British charities that receive UK aid to insist they detail the steps they are taking to ensure safeguarding policies are fully in place. Oxfam has said it was "dismayed by what happened" and has since set up a hotline for people to report sexual abuse and misconduct.
"With regard to Oxfam and any other organisation that has safeguarding issues, we expect them to cooperate fully with such authorities, and we will cease to fund any organisation that does not," she said. However, the minister said Oxfam did "absolutely the wrong thing" by not reporting the detail of the incidents to the government.
"I am very clear: we will not work with any organisation that does not live up to the high standards on safeguarding and protection that we require." She admitted she was considering whether the organisation should receive any more funding from the Department for International Development - which gave it £32m in the last financial year.
'Horrific behaviour' Speaking about the allegations, she said: "I think it's a complete betrayal of both the people Oxfam were there to help and also the people that sent them there to do that job. It's a scandal."
She said her "absolute priority" was to keep the world's poorest and most vulnerable people safe from harm. Ms Mordaunt said it did not matter how good the safeguarding practices were in an organisation if they did not "have the moral leadership to do the right thing".
"In the 21st century, it is utterly despicable that sexual exploitation and abuse continues to exist in the aid sector," she sad. She added: "If the moral leadership at the top of the organisation isn't there, then we can not have you as a partner."
"The horrific behaviour by some members of Oxfam staff in Haiti in 2011 is an example of a wider issue on which DfID (Department for International Development) is already taking action, both at home and with the international community via the UN."
Fresh claimsFresh claims
Meanwhile, Oxfam is facing further allegations, reported in the Observer, that its staff used prostitutes in Chad in 2006.Meanwhile, Oxfam is facing further allegations, reported in the Observer, that its staff used prostitutes in Chad in 2006.
The same senior staff member, Roland van Hauwermeiren, led this mission and the charity's work in Haiti. He resigned from Oxfam in 2011. That mission was also led by Mr van Hauwermeiren, who resigned from Oxfam in 2011 amid the charity's investigation into the Haiti allegations.
Oxfam said it could not corroborate the latest allegations, but it said it was "shocked and dismayed" at what it called the unacceptable behaviour by a small number of people. Oxfam said it could not corroborate the latest claims but it said it was "shocked and dismayed" at what it called the unacceptable behaviour by a small number of people.
"Since the Haiti case in 2011 we have introduced a range of measures to prevent sexual abuse and misconduct happening in the first place and improve how we handle any allegations," the charity said."Since the Haiti case in 2011 we have introduced a range of measures to prevent sexual abuse and misconduct happening in the first place and improve how we handle any allegations," the charity said.
Oxfam has faced growing criticism over the way it handled the sexual misconduct claims against some staff in Haiti in 2011. On Saturday the Charity Commission said that while Oxfam had reported that it was investigating inappropriate sexual behaviour, bullying, harassment and staff intimidation, it had not given the full details.
The aid workers were in Haiti as part of the relief effort following the devastating magnitude 7.0 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people in 2010. The Charity Commission took no further action at the time but says it would have acted differently had it known all the facts.
Its own investigation into the allegations led to four people being sacked and three others resigning. Oxfam has denied any cover-up.
On Saturday the Charity Commission said that while Oxfam told the regulator it was investigating inappropriate sexual behaviour, bullying, harassment and staff intimidation, the charity had not given the full details.
The Charity Commission took no further action but says it would have acted differently had it known all the facts.
Oxfam has denied any cover-up and has said the behaviour of some of its staff in Haiti had been "totally unacceptable".