Last year, The Times newspaper reported that senior officials at the institution had paid victims, including minors, for sex and that Oxfam had covered up the scandal. “What went wrong in Haiti did not happen in isolation,” highlighted the Charity Commission, the British state department that regulates charities. Charity.

A report on the sexual exploitation of victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti by Oxfam employees reveals that the charity Charity Had one “culture of tolerance of bad behavior”. A Charity Commission, the British state department that regulates institutions of Charity, also accuses Oxfam of not having considered the “warnings”, even those from its own team, reported this Tuesday the Euronews.

The investigation was carried out following allegations published in the newspaper “The Times” last year that senior officials at the institution had paid earthquake victims, including underage girls, for sex and Oxfam had covered up the scandal. At the time, the institution apologized, saying it abhorred and had zero tolerance for abusive behavior, sexual or otherwise.

“What went wrong in Haiti did not happen in isolation,” said Helen Stephenson, executive director of the Charity Commission. “Our research shows that, for years, Oxfam’s internal culture tolerated inappropriate behavior and sometimes lost sight of the values it stands for. Good intentions are of limited value when not combined with robust resources, systems and processes to be implemented on site and, most importantly, an organizational culture that prioritizes people's safety,” he added.

“A VIOLATION OF EVERYTHING OXFAM STANDS FOR”

The executive director of Oxfam International, Winnie Byanyima, reiterates “the organization's aversion” to abusive behavior, stressing that it is “a violation of everything that Oxfam stands for”. “I would like to reaffirm the collective commitment of our confederation to continue working hard to transform our workplace culture and improve our safeguarding systems”, he said.

The earthquake that hit Haiti in January 2010 was the biggest in the Caribbean country in two centuries, leaving around 220,000 dead, 300,000 injured and 1.5 million homeless.

Oxfam was one of many Charity who mobilized to help the victims, sending a team of a hundred people, including 15 emergency specialists. The first sign of irregularities has arrived Soon the following year, in 2011, after a report from the organization itself confirmed allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct by its employees, including the use of prostitutes. Several employees were fired, while others, such as the director of country operations, resigned.

However, in February 2018, the “Times” revealed that Oxfam had not told the whole story, detailing cases of Payment by sex, including minors. The newspaper also alleged that the organization had covered up the scandal, something that Oxfam denied.

Material extracted from the website: express.pt

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