Head of UK charity Oxfam International said on Tuesday that the organization had received 26 complaints since the probe into allegations that employees of the organization's branch in Haiti paid women for sexual acts and forced others to "have sexual acts with them in exchange for aid."
Oxfam workers were deployed in Haiti as part of the relief operations after the island was hit with a devastating earthquake in 2010.
The organization, however, denied there had been a cover-up, saying Oxfam had been trying to deliver a huge programme with 500 staff, and his predecessors would have believed they were making the right decision at the time. "I don't defend that decision," he said.
Mark Goldring, who served as Oxfam's chief since 2013, said the organization has lost 7,000 regular donors since it was revealed that staff sexually exploited victims of the Haiti.
Goldring apologized to the International Development Committee for the damage done to people in Haiti and the wider efforts of aid workers. The committee said it would conduct its own investigation into abuses in the foreign aid sector.
"I am sorry, we are sorry, for the damage Oxfam has done both to the people of Haiti but also to wider efforts for aid and development by possibly undermining public support," he told the committee.
The urgent session, called by the committee in response to allegations appearing earlier this month in the Times newspaper, was marked by repeated apologies.
“We really want people to come forward wherever they are and whenever this happened,” he added.
The new allegations of sexual misconduct range from short term and long term incidents, stated Goldring adding that no victim filed a complaint at the time.
Oxfam International’s executive director, Winnie Byanyima, declared that some hideous men came to Oxfam and abused the trust of the British people.
"They support us. But they were able to get away, to get a recommendation to leave. This was wrong. So, we are going to change the culture,” she added.
The executive director admitted that what happened in Haiti and afterwards is a stain on Oxfam that will shame the organization for years.
“From the bottom of my heart I am asking for forgiveness,” she pleaded, adding: “Of course words are not enough. I’ve agreed a plan of action with Oxfam’s board of international directors, which will see us double the number of people who work on safeguarding the people we serve. We’re also asking respected women’s rights experts to lead an independent commission which will take a long, hard look at our operations and tell us what we need to change about our culture and practices. And we’re setting up a new database of people authorized to give references.”
Byanyima reiterated that the organization is absolutely committed to ensuring justice for survivors of abuse, and making sure all those the organization works with, as well as its staff and volunteers, are protected from any such abuse now and in the future.
An independent commission will be set up with immediate power to carry out a wide-ranging review of Oxfam’s practices and culture, including its handling of past cases of sexual misconduct.
