Sexual abuse is endemic in the aid sector because of a ‘boys’ club’ attitude in male dominated charities, MPs warn.
In a damning report, they said a ‘macho’ environment contributed to the sort of atmosphere where sexual exploitation was tolerated.
The Commons international development committee accused the aid sector of ‘complacency verging on complicity’ over the abuse scandal.
Oxfam boss who ‘paid teenage girls up to £140 a time for sex’ in Haiti
In the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Oxfam sent a team of 230 to help the homeless and starving.
Within months, allegations surfaced of senior staff using prostitutes – some of whom may have been under 18.
Roland van Hauwermeiren, head of the charity’s Haiti mission, was accused of paying teenage girls between £70 and £140 a time for sex at his hilltop villa known as the Eagle’s Nest.
Scandal: Roland van Hauwermeiren was accused of paying teenage girls for sex
Former staff told the Mail earlier this year that Mr van Hauwermeiren, a 68-year-old Belgian, ‘loved young girls’. Instead of being dismissed, he was offered a deal to resign if he co-operated with the investigation.
Mr van Hauwermeiren was allowed ‘a phased and dignified exit’ by then Oxfam chief executive, Dame Barbara Stocking.
The charity released a statement in August 2011 saying he had voluntarily stepped down because of staff misconduct.
Mr van Hauwermeiren became head of mission for Action Against Hunger in Bangladesh from 2012 to 2014. Despite employment checks, the charity said Oxfam ‘did not share any warning regarding unethical conduct’.
It highlights failings relating to both the recipients of aid and attacks on charity workers.
It found the delivery of help to people in crisis had been subverted by sexual predators, with only superficial action taken to tackle it.
‘Deluded’ charity bosses were engaged in a ‘culture of denial’ – exhibiting more concern for good PR than for victims.
MPs highlight that a lack of barriers makes aid an ‘attractive sector for people wishing to exploit others’.
The report, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in the Aid Sector, follows the exposure of abuse by Oxfam aid workers in Haiti in 2011. Among devastating conclusions, it found:
- Oxfam was more concerned about risk to its reputation than the danger recipients of aid would be abused;
- Charities and the Department for International Development ignored reports of sexual abuse going back almost two decades;
- The United Nations is still in denial about abuse by its staff, some of whom have immunity from prosecution;
- Abuse against aid workers themselves – including rape – may be more prevalent than previously thought;
- Whistleblowers are afraid to speak out for fear of losing their jobs.
The MPs demanded a boost to the powers of the Charity Commission, with the appointment of a new independent aid ombudsman.
They also called for a global register of aid workers to end the scandal of abusers moving from one charity to another.
Kevin Watkins, boss of Save the Children UK, admitted: ‘We have made mistakes in our handling of sexual harassment complaints’
Stephen Twigg, chairman of the committee, said the sector was ‘deluded’. ‘Humanitarian organisations and the UN cannot continue a ‘culture of denial’ when confronted with allegations of sexual exploitation,’ he said.
‘The committee is concerned that previous attempts have amounted to limited action in order to quell media clamour.
‘No matter how insurmountable this looks, solutions must be found. This horror must be confronted.’
The report said: ‘Sexual violence, exploitation and abuse against women and girls is endemic in many developing countries… It is particularly horrifying to find evidence of personnel from the aid and security sectors perpetrating these abuses.’
It added that many aid organisations had a destructive ‘boys’ club’ culture, ‘in which sexual harassment and abuse of staff can thrive’.
The committee singled out Save the Children UK for criticism, following the departure of chief executive Justin Forsyth and policy director Brendan Cox amid claims of harassment.
The charity’s handling of the allegations is the subject of a statutory inquiry.
The MPs also quote research which found that ‘a macho form of masculinity dominates the humanitarian relief space’.
Committee member Pauline Latham said: ‘I believe deep cultural change is required across all aid organisations, starting with their – all too often male – senior leadership.
‘Sexual abuse of aid beneficiaries and of women aid workers, which I believe is linked, must be stamped out.’
Last night International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said: ‘Ensuring survivors’ voices are heard and taken seriously is paramount.’
Judith Brodie, the boss of Bond which brings together development charities, said she was beginning to see a positive culture shift.
Kevin Watkins, boss of Save the Children UK, said: ‘We have made mistakes in our handling of sexual harassment complaints. Although some progress has been made… there is a great deal more to do.’
Oxfam ‘cared about its brand reputation more than victims’
Oxfam was far more concerned about its reputation than the risk that aid recipients would be abused, the charity’s former head of safeguarding said.
William Anderson told MPs that measures to prevent sexual exploitation were seen as merely a ‘tick-box’ exercise.
Too many bosses arrogantly thought there was no way abuse could happen at Oxfam – because it was such a ‘moral’ organisation.
Too many bosses arrogantly thought there was no way abuse could happen at Oxfam
This attitude meant it was ‘institutionally blind’ to the fact that it was exactly the sort of organisation where abuse could ‘fester’.
The committee’s report was critical of a number of Oxfam’s actions before the revelation that in 2011 its workers had used prostitutes in disaster-affected Haiti.
It pointed out that even after this, Oxfam’s code of conduct of 2012 did not ban the use of prostitutes – although it bans them now.
It said it agreed with the statement by former aid secretary Andrew Mitchell that Oxfam had abided by the spirit but not the letter of the law when it did not disclose fully the extent of the Haiti scandal.
Dame Barbara Stocking, the charity’s former chief executive, was criticised for her ‘tenuous’ handling of the case.
Mr Anderson, Oxfam’s first safeguarding co-ordinator, told MPs in written evidence that the charity appeared more interested in PR than protecting the vulnerable.
‘Safeguarding was only viewed in the abstract and was about ticking boxes rather than seriously looking at the dynamics that foster abuse,’ he wrote.
‘When I talked about risk it was about protecting the vulnerable, whereas most risk conversations were about reputational risk and how to protect the Oxfam brand.
‘The belief was that that sort of thing was unlikely to happen in such a moral, professional organisation.’
Last night Caroline Thomson, Oxfam’s chairman of trustees, said: ‘Today’s report makes for incredibly painful reading for me, for everyone at Oxfam and for the aid sector as a whole.
‘Oxfam exists to help improve the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people; we know we failed to protect vulnerable women in Haiti, and we accept we should have reported more clearly at the time – for that we are truly sorry.
‘Since February, as part of our comprehensive action plan, we have tripled funding for safeguarding, established an independent whistleblowing helpline and committed to publish details of safeguarding cases twice a year.’