Hundreds of charity shop workers have been investigated for sexual harassment and child safeguarding, it was revealed last night.
There have been at least 270 allegations about staff and volunteers in the past five years.
BBC Radio 5 Live Investigates asked ten of Britain’s biggest charities for the number of allegations they received at more than 4,000 shops.
Age UK had 26 cases in five years, the British Heart Foundation had 25, Barnardo’s had 14 while Cancer Research UK and Sue Ryder both had ten.
The request was made after revelations of sexual abuse by Oxfam staff of survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake sparked a string of abuse claims across the sector
But Oxfam had 150 – more than half of the overall total.
The request was made after revelations of sexual abuse by Oxfam staff of survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake sparked a string of abuse claims across the sector.
The true figure could be considerably higher as several charities only provided data for the last 12 months, included the British Red Cross which reported 18 and Scope which had three.
Data provided by three charities revealed at least 11 of the victims were under the 18.
The charities surveyed run more than 4,000 shops on high streets throughout the UK.
In one instance, a man convicted of downloading indecent images of children succeeded in becoming assistant manager of a Shelter charity shop in Canterbury by failing to reveal his criminal convictions.
His background only emerged when the charity was informed by the police in 2014, prompting his dismissal.
A spokesperson for the charity said Shelter started carrying out criminal record checks on all shop managers in 2015.
Georgina Halford-Hall, chief executive of Whistleblowers UK, said the charity sector as a whole attracts predators.
Age UK had 26 cases in five years, the British Heart Foundation had 25, Barnardo’s had 14 while Cancer research UK and Sue Ryder both had ten
‘It’s almost as if regulation for them is deemed unnecessary because, of course, everybody who works there would be nice,’ she said.
‘But in effect, a bit like the Jimmy Savile scandal, those who say the unspeakable about areas where we have traditionally been sympathetic are not welcome.
‘And yet those are the areas that attract people who are predatory, they’re exploitative – all of the evidence supports this.’
She added: ‘We’ve heard about inappropriate relationships between members of staff, between staff and volunteers and also volunteers raising concerns about the way staff have interacted with vulnerable children and teenagers.’
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said: ‘Sadly these things do occur in all walks of life. Over a quarter of a million people volunteer in charity shops at the moment and it is inevitable that safeguarding issues will arise.
‘Charities take safeguarding incredibly seriously. Reporting is the first step to addressing sexual harassment of any sort so higher numbers of reported cases may indicate a healthy culture of reporting and properly dealing with issues as they arise.
‘There will also be a range of cases – from the most grievous allegations of abuse, to, for example, inappropriate comments – these are all serious and they’re all part of a spectrum, but it is worth remembering the most alarming incidents are very rare in any context. Being a good employer means taking allegations seriously, listening to people, and taking action where necessary. And it’s evident that that’s what these charities have done.’