22/02/2018
Some Oxfam staff members have been accused of organising sex parties and exchanging aid for sex when they were supposed to be providing disaster relief in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.
There are, furthermore, recent media reports that the French MSF group received 146 complaints last year, 24 of which were for sexual harassment or sexual assault, and that the London-based NGO Save the Children was warned of 176 incidents over three years involving potential abuse of children by its staff.
In 2017, the Commission granted aid amounting to EUR 2.5 billion, of which EUR 53.5 million was allocated to all European affiliates of Oxfam. The Commission has stated that if Oxfam does not clarify the recent allegations, it is ready to stop funds to those counterparts that did not respect basic ethical standards.
Considering the high value of all organisations with ethical and humanitarian purposes:
Does the Commission intend to seek a full investigation to shed light on the public funding used by all NGOs which work closely with children?
What action does the Commission intend to take to regulate the use of public money given to NGOS and to ensure greater transparency in this regard, as well as in ethical certification?
