Oxfam Sex Scandal: British government threatens the NGO with money withdrawal

Oxfam employees are said to have sexually exploited women not only in Haiti but also in Chad. The "moral leadership" of the organization had failed, criticized the British Development Minister.

Reports of sex parties in Haiti and Chad brought the aid organization Oxfam in need of explanation. In both cases, the Oxford-based organization reportedly covered up these incidents.

British Development Minister Penny Mordaunt threatened to cut back on the organization on Sunday. She expects Oxfam to work closely with the authorities, she said on the BBC. The organization failed in terms of "moral leadership."

Mordaunt wants to discuss the next steps with Oxfam representatives on Monday. She wanted to give them the opportunity to comment on the allegations, she said in the BBC. If they do not hand over all the information about the affair, the ministry will no longer work with Oxfam.

According to the Observer newspaper in Chad, Oxfam employees have repeatedly invited prostitutes to the team's home base. The incidents occurred in 2006, reported the British weekly on Sunday. A senior employee had been fired because of his behavior at that time.

"They invited the women to the parties, and we knew they were not just friends, but something else," the newspaper quoted an ex-employee. "Oxfam is doing a great job, but that's a sector-wide problem."

At the time, according to Observer, one of the employees led Oxfam's work in the region, which later moved to Haiti. There also incidents with sex workers took place. The man left the organization in 2011 for reports of prostitute visits to his home.

As for Haiti, the Times reported Friday that Oxfam employees had sex orgy with prostitutes during their employment following the devastating earthquake in 2010. According to the article, the parties are said to have taken place in a villa rented by Oxfam. The report refers to an internal Oxfam inquiry report from 2011.

In the past fiscal year, Oxfam received nearly £32 million (about € 36 million) from the British government, according to media reports. The nonprofit government commission said on Saturday that it urged Oxfam to provide more information about the incident in Haiti.

The organization itself stated that it takes the allegations very seriously and thoroughly examines them. He is "deeply ashamed" of the behavior of the Oxfam team in Haiti, said Oxfam leader Mark Goldring. The incidents are unacceptable and a serious violation of the organization's Code of Conduct. The scandal was not hushed up, he stressed.

Sources

• dpa, AFP
• Oxfam Official Statement
• NYT Article

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