Following the Oxfam sex scandal, the EU says charities risk losing their funding if they do not meet ethical standards. Oxfam's deputy chief executive has resigned while taking "full responsibility" for the scandal.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Buchanan
Advertisement
The European Union on Monday ordered British aid group Oxfam to explain its handling of a sexual misconduct scandal involving its staff paying prostitutes in Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010.
It also warned its NGO partners that the bloc would cut funding if they breached ethical standards, underscoring its "zero tolerance" approach towards misconduct.
"We expect Oxfam to fully clarify the allegations with maximum transparency as a matter of urgency, and we're ready to review and, if needed, cease funding to any partner who is not living up to the required high ethical standards," spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters.
Oxfam, which received €1.7 million ($2.1 million) in funding from the EU for work in Haiti in 2011, is being accused of covering up the episode and failing to warn other aid agencies about the employees involved, which allowed them to get jobs among vulnerable people in other disaster areas.
Oxfam Deputy Chief Executive Penny Lawrence resigned from her position on Monday, taking " full responsibility" for the scandal.
Oxfam Haiti scandal: DW talks to Jörn Kalinski, Oxfam Germany
04:12
This browser does not support the video element.
"Over the last few days we have become aware that concerns were raised about the behavior of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon," Lawrence said in a statement.
"It is now clear that these allegations—involving the use of prostitutes and which related to behavior of both the country director and members of his team in Chad—were raised before he moved to Haiti," she added.
The probe led to the sacking of four Oxfam employees, the charity said on Friday, adding that three people, including the country director, resigned before the end of the investigation.
British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman told reporters that Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt was meeting Oxfam representatives on Monday.
"DFID (the Department for International Development) have taken action in this area to try and further strengthen systems to enforce a zero tolerance approach. There are a number of measures they have taken but we want to go further in this area," he said.
DFID gave Oxfam nearly £32 million (€36 million) last year.
The British government has also threatened to cut off funding to Oxfam or any other aid agency that doesn't cooperate with the government's efforts to rein in misconduct.
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.
