Oxfam: Haiti's president condemns UK charity over scandal
13 February 2018
The president of Haiti has strongly condemned UK charity Oxfam, after it emerged its staff hired prostitutes while delivering aid in 2011. The charity was accused by a UK newspaper of concealing the actions. In a Twitter post, Jovenel Moise condemned the actions as an "extremely serious violation of human dignity". A senior government source in Haiti confirmed to the BBC that an investigation will now be launched into foreign aid agencies operating there. Haitians angered by Oxfam sex scandal One of the UK's biggest charities, Oxfam, was the subject of a report in the Times newspaper last week. The article accused the charity of concealing the findings of a 2011 inquiry into claims senior aid workers, including Haiti's national director, paid local prostitutes for sex. Oxfam were in the country offering relief following a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people in 2010. The charity has since confirmed sexual misconduct occurred, and that several staff members were dismissed or resigned after the internal investigation, but denies any cover-up. It has been accused by a UK charity watchdog, which has launched an inquiry, of failing to disclose the full details. Oxfam's deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence has resigned over the handling of the scandal, and the UK government has threatened to cut funding to the charity's projects. Posting on his Twitter account (in French) Haitian President Jovenel Moise spoke out about the scandal for the first time on Monday. "There is nothing more outrageous and dishonest than a sexual predator who uses his position as part of the humanitarian response to a natural disaster to exploit needy people in their moment of greatest vulnerability," he said. "What happened with Oxfam in Haiti is an extremely serious violation of human dignity," he said in another tweet. Several former members of Oxfam's local staff have said they tried to raise concerns but felt their complaints were ignored. Several Haitian NGOs have said that the problems with Oxfam in Haiti were institutional. Pierre Esperance, the head of Haiti's National Human Rights Defence Network, told the BBC: "Oxfam, after the earthquake, became like a factory." "A big organisation with a lot of people with bad management. People who don't have any skill regarding development, with a lot of money, and this is the result." Do you work for an NGO or for Oxfam? Please share your experiences with us by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk. You can also contact us in the following ways: - Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay - WhatsApp: +44 7555 173285 - Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 (UK) - Please read our terms & conditions
One of the UK's biggest charities, Oxfam, was the subject of a report in the Times newspaper last week. The article accused the charity of concealing the findings of a 2011 inquiry into claims senior aid workers, including Haiti's national director, paid local prostitutes for sex. Oxfam were in the country offering relief following a devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people in 2010. The charity has since confirmed sexual misconduct occurred, and that several staff members were dismissed or resigned after the internal investigation, but denies any cover-up. It has been accused by a UK charity watchdog, which has launched an inquiry, of failing to disclose the full details. Oxfam's deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence has resigned over the handling of the scandal, and the UK government has threatened to cut funding to the charity's projects.
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What is the charity accused of?
Posting on his Twitter account (in French) Haitian President Jovenel Moise spoke out about the scandal for the first time on Monday. "There is nothing more outrageous and dishonest than a sexual predator who uses his position as part of the humanitarian response to a natural disaster to exploit needy people in their moment of greatest vulnerability," he said. "What happened with Oxfam in Haiti is an extremely serious violation of human dignity," he said in another tweet. Several former members of Oxfam's local staff have said they tried to raise concerns but felt their complaints were ignored. Several Haitian NGOs have said that the problems with Oxfam in Haiti were institutional. Pierre Esperance, the head of Haiti's National Human Rights Defence Network, told the BBC: "Oxfam, after the earthquake, became like a factory." "A big organisation with a lot of people with bad management. People who don't have any skill regarding development, with a lot of money, and this is the result."
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How has Haiti reacted?