LONDON, England--The British charity Oxfam is facing intense scrutiny amidst claims that it mishandled a child-sex abuse and prostitution ring in Haiti following the 2010 earthquake.
The reports of Oxfam charity workers abusing their status by hiring prostitutes came to light in 2011, when it was reported that aid workers were found to have hired Haitian prostitutes and were in possession of various forms of pornography depicting Haitians, as well as a plot to cover the scandal up once allegations started to swirl.
The British Charity Commission has stated that it wanted “clarity” on the investigations into the alleged cover up and wants a full accounting of the money spent that was raised by Oxfam for the Haitian relief efforts.
All of this is amidst fresh allegations that Oxfam also encouraged child prostitution during the same period directly after the earthquake’s aftermath, something which was not revealed or indicated during the initial investigations of 2011.
The UK’s Department for International Development (DfID) sharply criticised the charity for its lack of transparency on these very damning allegations, and is now reviewing its relationship with Oxfam as a result of the way it handled the initial prostitution and sex abuse scandals.
The DfID, which is a large sponsor for aid agencies in Britain and around the world, reportedly gave over US $44 million to Oxfam in 2017 and has demanded that Oxfam officials meet to discuss how this aid money was spent, and what is Oxfam doing amidst these new allegations that now include child-sex abuse and sex-trafficking along with the initial claims of prostitution and Haitian pornography as a result of the 2011 investigations.
The DfID is concerned that the 2011 investigations were obstructed and now suspects that intimidation and a purging of evidence took place. These new allegations of intimidation and obstruction were things that were not revealed in the findings from the 2011 investigations that ended up with several Oxfam aid workers fired or forced to resign.
Oxfam, ranked as the fourth leading charity by income in Britain, is reported to have raised over $550 million in donations in 2011. Oxfam and its various branches and subsidiaries raised an estimated total of $287 million by the end of 2011 for the Haiti relief efforts alone, but reported to have spent just under $100 million of those donations as per their January 2011 report.
Prostitution, brothel owning and pimping are illegal in Haiti, although some reports suggest that it is widespread.
The US Department of State Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour in a 2008 Human Rights Report stated: “The law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in persons, although labour legislation and other laws, including those prohibiting and penalizing slavery, kidnapping, and violence against women, could be used to combat human trafficking.”
The report also went on to state that a significant number of people travelling back and forth between Haiti and the Dominican Republic, its island neighbour, takes place as a result of sex-work and other forms of child-labour and services.
Between the borders of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, child prostitute prices can range from as low as $40 to $100, depending on the circumstances. ~ Caribbean News Now! ~
