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"It's not as if we murdered babies in their cots" - Oxfam

187 replies

JaimesGoldenHand · 17/02/2018 11:07

Apparently the Oxfam CEO thinks the reaction to the Aid Worker rape and use of prostitutes and the subsequent apparent cover-up has been disproportionate. It happens in all aid agencies so why the fuss.

I was in two minds as to whether to boycott Oxfam but this has decided me. I feel physically sick.

OP posts:
Inseoir · 17/02/2018 14:44

You forgot a bit there McTufty - it should be 'It's only sexual abuse of non-people (ie women), so chill the fuck out.' Apparently on the murder of babies in cots should bother us, everyone is else is fair game. I'm guessing though that had it been sexual abuse of men, especially real men (ie not filthy savage natives) then the story would be very different.

One cannot be expected to care about scum like forrin women.

Terftastic · 17/02/2018 14:45

k2p2k2tog - can I just ask - do you really believe you're not making excuses?

Because I'm astonished at your excuses for it - I realise you are loyal to Oxfam, but women and children were raped in disaster zones.

I'm not sure your 0.01% figure is truly accurate either. If it's anything like the UN peacekeepers, it'll be much much higher than that.

ThePinkPanter · 17/02/2018 14:45

Do you not think k2 that it's a bit funny that you're one of the few on this thread coming to this man's defense but by your own admission haven't read his interview?

Tinycitrus · 17/02/2018 14:46

I think this is the tip of the iceberg. The reason they saw nothing wrong is that this type of exploitation is endemic.

However there the vast majority of people at Oxfam are working to make things better - against all the odds.

Stopping donations helps no one Sad

TheAntiBoop · 17/02/2018 14:46

The way NGOs are hindering economic development in Haiti is a disgrace. We should be holding charities far more accountable than we currently do.

These huge charities need a reason to exist and in a lot of cases they perpetuate it. Emergency aid is a wonderful thing but development aid can often be counter productive.

The charity commission are a joke as well. If they want to pay private company levels of pay they need to start looking at how heavily regulated a lot of these industries are as well.

UpstartCrow · 17/02/2018 14:51

There's no agenda to destroy aid, unless you include aid workers raping the children and women they are supposed to help as part of the insidious plot.

Inseoir · 17/02/2018 14:53

Of course it's endemic. For someone to be so incredibly blatant as to openly bring women to his villa, he has to believe he's untouchable and that his behaviour will go unnoticed. He has to have seen other people doing similar things or at least got the impression from the culture of the organisation that no one really cared. This is not an aid worker visiting a prostitute in a nowhere place, this was a director of the charity in an area with a lot of press attention, openly bringing women to exploit them at the accommodation that Oxfam paid for. Now that's been found out his only response is that he didn't pay for sex. He has not in any way acknowledged that he had a position of authority that he abused in the most base way.

ChipVinegar · 17/02/2018 14:56

And don't forget that Jimmy Savile raised millions for charity - it is the ultimate smoke screen for a violent man.

@Sarahjconnor

Sad but true. The vulnerable will always be exploited by those gaining access to them under the guise of helping them.

Popchyk · 17/02/2018 14:56

"You have no proof that any crime has been committed or indeed know the identities of the women involved".

k2, Mikelange Gabou was on the ITV lunchtime news, stating that Roland van Hauwermeiren paid her for sex and gave her nappies for her child. She was 17 at the time.

McTufty · 17/02/2018 14:57

@inseoir apologies - my bad.

You’re quite right- these were not only women but poor, black women. It makes me sick.

RedToothBrush · 17/02/2018 15:09

WTF!

He literally just said:

"Its ok our organisation didn't contain murderers, we just had a few child rapists."

HatsontheWardrobe · 17/02/2018 15:22

But taking a step back - what could Oxfam (or any other charity) do?

Plenty of organisations have safeguarding policies that permit disclosure of disciplinary investigations of employees to other agencies when they believe there could be a risk.

The fact that other charities employed these men on the basis of references from former colleagues, rather than via the HR dept of the former Employer, only strengthens my concern that this is a far wider issue than just OXFAM. There appears to be a sector-wide ignorance when it comes to Safer Recruitment practice.

OXFAM and other charities should take the time to read the OFSTED guidance for schools regarding safeguarding and recruitment; what you're describing would be considered a total failure in Safeguarding in any school.

StealthPolarBear · 17/02/2018 15:24

Excellent posts on this thread

mrswhiplington · 17/02/2018 15:26

They may not have murdered any babies but they may have left a few behind for these poor women to bring up. Are Oxfam going to pay for their welfare?

Brokenbiscuit · 17/02/2018 16:16

Can I just point out that it's possible to be disgusted both by the way in which the anti-aid brigade has pounced on this scandal as a means of justifying their desire to shrug and walk away from the world's neediest people AND by Mark Goldring's shameless attempt to minimise the gross violation of everything that is decent by certain Oxfam employees.

I do not want to see us abandon our commitment to overseas aid as a result of what has happened. However, I do want to see robust safeguards put in place to protect vulnerable people from harm and exploitation by the very people who have supposedly dedicated their lives to helping them. And I want to see those in charge of the major aid agencies demonstrating that they understand the enormity of what has happened and that they are seriously committed to cleaning up their act.

Mark Goldring should have realised that his dismissive comments would only inflame the situation. He needs to resign.

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 19:38

What would be positive would be people posting suggestions for charities that are grass roots / ?have more women on the ground than men (waits for cries of NAMALT + sexism) / are small and people know them well or something.

We don't donate to oxfam but do to others

I have no doubt this is endemic and "normal" and has been for years - this isn't the first "scandal" around NGOs and sexual abuse of the people they are supposed to be helping. Which is why the bloke in charge is flailing - he can't see the problem so is looking for other reasons that people seem to be a tad upset about this.

The start of the interview "I haven't slept in 6 night" oh diddums well at least you weren;t being raped by wealthy overseas aid workers twice your age every one of those nights in order to get resources for you / your family.

MadgeMak · 17/02/2018 20:06

I'm certainly going to be rethinking who I make donations to, so would also welcome any suggestions of some alternative grassroots organisations.

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 20:14

We donate to plan and save the children, would be interested if anyone has any info on them.

I will take a look on their sites but policies around this are not always easy to find.

I know some are OK with their people fucking the locals as long as they are over 18 which is wrong wrong wrong. The hard rule for all these orgs should be no fucking the locals full stop.

I would be pretty upset if either plan or save the children are helping these kids and then deem it OK to sexually exploit them when they hit whatever age.

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 20:19

Googling save the children, here is a daily mail link saying they produced a report 10 years ago warning about the high level of sexual explotation & rape including of children by NGOs

warning upsetting

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 20:22

"2003 - Nepalese troops accused of sexual abuse while serving in DR Congo. Six are later jailed
2004 - Two UN peacekeepers repatriated after being accused of abuse in Burundi
2005 - UN troops accused of rape and sexual abuse in Sudan
2006 - UN personnel accused of rape and exploitation on missions in Haiti and Liberia
2007 - UN launches probe into sexual abuse claims in Ivory Coast"

This is not new but it's been known about for such a long time, why are they not working to stop it? The men who have raped children, from what i remember, never faced prosecution. There seems to be no will to do it.

I don't care if they're all at it, OXFAM have mishandled this and the words of the man in charge speak for themselves.

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 20:24

Ah can see some were jailed - good.

I was thinking of the French UN peackeepers who abused children, I looked it up the other day, I don't think the UN has done much.

SeniorRita · 17/02/2018 20:25

I heard this quote today and thought 'uhoh, a Ratner moment'.

UpABitLate · 17/02/2018 20:30

french peacekeepers in the congo

This was the story that led a person to post "send women" to these situations as being a serious option.

If these agencies are unable or not interested in acting when the victims are young children and it's "rape rape" then they're hardly going to give a fuck about older girls and women having sex in exchange for vital resources, are they. Maybe they think it's empowering for them, earning their aid, rather than being given it...

LassWiADelicateAir · 17/02/2018 20:45

save the children, would be interested if anyone has any info on them

I posted a l ink to a 10 year old report about abuse in Haiti. I erroneously said it was about Save the Children but it was by them - not about them.

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