Oxfam Great Britain chief executive Mark Goldring, who was criticized for his handling of a scandal over the use of prostitutes in Haiti by Oxfam staff, was in London on February 20 to respond to allegations of sex abuse by his organization’s workers in Haiti.
The organization said last week Goldring will stand down at the end of the year. Goldring said in a statement:
Following the very public exposure of Oxfam’s past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us. We are now laying strong foundations for recovery. I am personally totally committed to seeing this phase through.
CNN explains in their post how the scandal unfolded:
Oxfam was rocked by allegations made in February that a number of its staff members, working in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake, hired prostitutes at the charity’s properties there. Among the employees was Oxfam’s Haiti director […] Although the allegations concerned activities in 2011, Goldring was at the helm of the organization when the scandal emerged. Oxfam was also accused of covering up the findings of an internal investigation into the matter.
Oxfam has tried to rebuild its reputation since the scandal by improving its safeguarding practices but many donors have pulled their support from the organization…
