Singer Tallia Storm has become the latest celebrity supporter to cut ties with Oxfam in the wake of its sex abuse scandal.
The 19-year-old Celebs Go Dating star, who has worked with Oxfam since 2016, said she felt ‘shocked and disappointed’ following allegations that senior staff members paid for sex with locals in crisis zones.
She becomes the latest figure to withdraw her endorsement of the charity, after South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu and British actress Minnie Driver quit their posts as Oxfam celebrity ambassadors in the wake of the abuse allegations.
Singer Tallia Storm has become the latest celebrity supporter to cut ties with Oxfam in the wake of its sex abuse scandal
South African Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu and British actress Minnie Driver quit their posts as Oxfam celebrity ambassadors
The singer (right) revealed she ‘did not come to her decision lightly’ but felt the charity had neither acted soon enough nor been ‘apologetic enough’
Roland van Hauwermeiren, 68, and six others left their roles at Oxfam amid claims they had used prostitutes during an aid operation in earthquake-hit Haiti.
But the disgraced former Oxfam boss at the centre of the scandal hit back at allegations he hired prostitutes for sex parties as ‘lies and exaggerations’.
Minnie Driver quit her role as celebrity ambassador for Oxfam in protest at the charity’s sex scandal
Tallia said she had ‘supported the charity since school but felt many young people would, like her, now feel reluctant to continue fundraising and donating to the charity.’
Making the revelation on politics TV show ‘Sam Delaney’s News Thing’, the singer revealed she ‘did not come to her decision lightly’ but felt the charity had neither acted soon enough nor been ‘apologetic enough’.
When news of the allegations emerged, Minnie Driver quit her role as an Oxfam global ambassador citing the ‘abhorrent mistakes’ in relation to the sex scandal.
The 48-year-old actress, who was one of the charity’s 16 ambassadors, said she was ‘in no uncertain terms’ withdrawing her support.
The British star had worked with Oxfam for 20 years, donating a £72,000 lunch date to its 2008 Ebay auction.
‘I am nothing short of horrified by the allegations against Oxfam International,’ the Good Will Hunting actress said in a statement.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu also quit his role as an Oxfam ambassador.
In a statement, the 86-year-old Nobel Peace laureate, said: ‘The Archbishop is deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian workers linked to the charity.’
This comes as the head of Oxfam issued an impassioned apology as she admitted she ‘cannot guarantee’ there are no sex offenders working for the organisation.
The 48-year-old actress, who was one of the charity’s 16 ambassadors, said in a series of tweets that she was ‘devastated’ by the Oxfam revelations
Executive director Winnie Byanyima promised to root out any wrongdoing at the charity and provide justice for anyone abused by its staff
Tallia said she had ‘supported the charity since school but felt many young people would, like her, now feel reluctant to continue fundraising and donating to the charity.’
Executive director Winnie Byanyima has promised to root out any wrongdoing at the charity and provide justice for anyone abused by its staff.
Ms Byanyima apologised for the scandal which has seen the charity accused of concealing findings of an inquiry into claims staff used prostitutes while delivering aid in Haiti in 2011.
Ms Byanyima admitted that the charity had ‘a problem’, but added that the majority of its 10,000 staff worldwide were ‘people of values’.
She has now announced a ‘comprehensive action plan to stamp out abuse’.
She said: ‘What happened in Haiti and afterwards is a stain on Oxfam that will shame us for years, and rightly so.
‘From the bottom of my heart I am asking for forgiveness.’
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt met with Lynne Owens, director general of the National Crime Agency, and Home Office officials to discuss how vulnerable people receiving charity aid can be protected from sex abuse
In an interview with the BBC, Ms Byanyima added: ‘I’m appointing a high-level commission, independent commission that will look into our culture and our practices and make recommendations to make us stronger at protecting our people.
‘We are going to create a vetting system. I’m really inviting anyone who has been a victim of abuse by anyone in our organisation to come forward.
‘I’m here for all the women who have been abused, I want them to come forward and for justice to be done for them.’
The plan, agreed with Oxfam GB chief executive Mark Goldring and directors across the international confederation, will include asking women’s rights experts to lead an urgent independent review of the charity’s culture and practices.
According to the BBC, the reforms at Oxfam will include doubling the budget for the charity’s safeguarding team, setting up a global database of accredited referees to ensure sex offenders cannot re-offend at other charities, and improving the organisation’s ‘whistleblowing mechanism’.
Her announcement comes after the International Development Secretary met with top law enforcement officials on Thursday to discuss how vulnerable people receiving charity aid can be protected from sex abuse.
Penny Mordaunt met with Lynne Owens, director general of the National Crime Agency, and Home Office officials.
Roland van Hauwermeiren, 68, (pictured) and six others left their roles at Oxfam amid claims they had used prostitutes during an aid operation in earthquake-hit Haiti
An independent commission will investigate claims of sexual exploitation at Oxfam
Haitian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Rodrigue spoke during a news conference about the Oxfam scandal at the offices of Planning and Foreign Cooperation Ministry in Port-au-Prince
They discussed how to ‘protect vulnerable people’ and how to guarantee ‘appropriate safeguarding provisions’ are in place for charities involved in overseas aid, according to the National Crime Agency.
The Charity Commission also set out the scope of its statutory inquiry, which will probe the charity’s case records, its handling of the Haiti allegations and the extent of knowledge of similar allegations against staff in areas such as Chad and Liberia predating Haiti.
The inquiry will also look at the charity’s communications with police and other agencies.
Michelle Russell, director of investigations, monitoring and enforcement at the Charity Commission, said: ‘Acting in the public interest as regulator, this inquiry must and will establish the facts about what the charity knew about events in Haiti in 2011, and how it responded at the time and since.’
Ms Mordaunt previously threatened to remove Oxfam’s funding, accusing the charity of failing to show moral leadership by not properly informing donors about the actions of its workers.