A newspaper report said Oxfam staff paid prostitutes for sex while on a mission to help 2010 earthquake victims. The British charity says it dismissed four employees following an internal investigation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Oxfam/F. Afonso
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British aid group Oxfam on Friday denied a newspaper report that it covered up instances of staff paying prostitutes in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010 that killed 220,000 people.
The charity said the behavior of some staff members in 2011 was "totally unacceptable."
"As soon as we became aware of the allegations we immediately launched an internal investigation," Oxfam said, responding to The Times report that its aid workers had paid for sex in Haiti, the poorest country in the Americas.
The internal probe led to the sacking of four Oxfam employees, the charity said, adding that three people, including the country director, resigned before the end of the investigation.
But the report said Oxfam did not inform the Haitian authorities or take any legal action against the offenders.
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Sex workers in Oxfam T-shirts
The Times reported that Oxfam workers had invited groups of young prostitutes to their guesthouse in Delmas, near the capital of Port-au-Prince, for sex.
An unidentified source told the newspaper he had seen footage of an orgy with sex workers wearing Oxfam t-shirts.
Oxfam neither confirmed nor denied the report but said its investigation had "related to offenses including bullying, harassment, intimidation and failure to protect staff as well as sexual misconduct."
The charity said its probe could not prove allegations that its staff had hired underage girls.
ap/sms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)
Haitians uprooted by quake search Americas for a place to live
Thousands of Haitian migrants stranded in northern Mexico, face being pushed out of shelters to make room for Mexicans deported from the United States. Photographer Valerio Muscella reports from Tijuana.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Haitian migrants' long journey
For Haitians who chose to leave the country after the devastating 2010 earthquake, exile often began in Brazil, which had a surplus of low-wage jobs and welcomed them with humanitarian visas. But political and economic turmoil there caused many to leave for the US, under the mistaken impression they would be taken in. Over 8,000 have found themselves stranded in Tijuana at the Mexican border.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
On the way to 'Little Haiti'
In the Canyon of the Scorpions, the Ambassadors of Jesus church has started building "Little Haiti" to host 225 Haitian migrants now living in the church hall. Many of the Haitians complain the settlement is hard to access: It is almost 30 minutes from the city and people need to take two buses to get here.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Everyday life in Tijuana
A Haitian man gives another man a haircut in "Little Haiti." The settlement is located next to a dump, which gives off an overwhelming smell. The Haitians find the unhygienic conditions and lack of clean drinking water alarming. Migrants have been living in slums here for around 20 years. Local media worry the canyon could become a vast ghetto.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Barely making a living
Most Haitians manage to make a living in Tijuana, although the informal jobs they find do not allow them to send money to their families, and their earnings are barely enough to pay rent in the city. Often they earn less than $1 an hour. Such economic hardship makes every day a struggle for survival.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Overcrowded shelters
Numerous churches opened new shelters for migrants at the height of the Haitian influx in the second half of 2016. Mexican media put the number of shelters in Tijuana at 33, none of which are run by local authorities. Were it not for the generosity of Tijuana's residents, the shelters would have quickly run out of food, clothes and other necessities.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Local solidarity
Linda Romero is the director of the Juventud 2000 shelter, where around 200 Haitian migrants, deported Mexicans and homeless people receive material and emotional support each day. She believes her mission is to help people regardless of their nationality.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Warm welcome for all
Despite the scarcity of space and sanitary facilities, the Emmanuel Baptist Center has become home to around 100 migrants. The atmosphere is welcoming across cultures. Women and children especially feel safe here.
Image: DW/V. Muscella
Hope in Canada
Haitian youth pray during a Catholic mass at the Desayunador Salesiano shelter, which serves around 1,500 meals to deported Mexicans and Haitian and Central American migrants each day. The Haitians here are relying on a Canadian priest to help them establish whether Canada might accept them as climate refugees.
