Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
The Oxfam scandal is about more than sex
The Oxfam scandal is about more than sex
Feb 11, 2026 8:46 AM

Oxfam released its internal report on the Haiti scandal Monday, exposing that the controversy enveloping the agency was deeper and more expansive than previously known.

In addition to the details already made public, the report states that allegations of fraud, negligence, sexual harassment, nepotism, and accessing pornography on an puter led to four firings and three resignations.

The figure at the center of the controversy, Haitian country director Roland van Hauwermeiren, was allowed to make a “phased and dignified exit,” according to Oxfam chief executive Mark Goldring in an interview published in Saturday’s Guardian.

The report’s most explosive revelation is that three employees in Haiti threatened a co-worker with physical violence in order to coerce the eyewitness into silence.

Oxfam perpetuated the silence by misleading UK government officials in order to preserve its share of foreign aid funds – which totaled£31.7 million (approximately $43.8 million U.S.) last year alone.

“We were categorically told there was no abuse of beneficiaries involved in the allegations,” said Michelle Russell, the UK Charity Commission’s director of investigations, monitoring, and enforcement. “Nor were we told that there were issues or possible issues around possible crimes, including those involving minors.”

Prime Minister Theresa May called the agency’s behavior “absolutely horrific” on Monday.

Despite the broad, deep, and variegated nature of its wrongdoing, Oxfam’s CEO said over the weekend that he is indignant – at the public’s reaction.

“The intensity and the ferocity of the attack makes you wonder, what did we do? We murdered babies in their cots?” Goldring asked incredulously.

“Certainly,” he continued, “the scale and the intensity of the attacks feels out of proportion to the level of culpability. I struggle to understand it.”

One puzzles at which is the bigger mystery: 1) why taxpayers would not object to being lied to about pulsory funding of the potential sexual abuse of minors, aid workers using food as leverage to exploit vulnerable women, and witness intimidation, or 2) how their doing so is an “attack” upon Oxfam.

The report’s release follows an announcement Friday that the agency will not apply for government funding until UK officials are “satisfied that they can meet the high standards [they] expect of [government] partners” … after government officials strongly implied they would withdraw funding over previous malfeasance.

Oxfam trumpeted the report’s release as an effort to be “as transparent as possible” … a week after it became clear it had been leaked to The Times.

And on Monday, Oxfam announced that it has reported the malefactors’ names – which are redacted in the report – to Haitian authorities for potential prosecution … seven years after the fact.

This level of wrongdoing cannot be fixed by bureaucratic or procedural changes. “It was not just the processes and procedures of that organisation that were lacking but moral leadership,” said UK International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt.

Those helping the poor must be motivated by the highest ethical standards, including promptly disclosing its workers’ legal infractions to all relevant authorities. Fear of losing government funding fueled a cover-up that enabled additional sexual abuse and exploitation around the globe.

At a minimum, Oxfam’s reaction demonstrates that the harmful effects of ing dependent on government aid apply as much to its distributors as to its recipients.

East Africa. This photo has been cropped. CC BY 2.0.)

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Why “opportunity zones” are an opportunity to expand cronyism
Embed from Getty Images Bad policy is not transformed into good policy simply because it’s advocated by good people with good intentions. This should be obvious—especially to conservatives—yet it’s a lesson we continually have to relearn. Consider, for example, the case of “opportunity zones.” As National Review reported, last month a bipartisan group of congressmen introduced a new bill called the Investing in Opportunity Act (IOA), which would will allow investors to temporarily delay paying capital-gains taxes on their investments...
The “war on poverty” can’t fix the dignity deficit
To kick off his 1964 “war on poverty” initiative, President Lyndon B. Johnson held a photo op at the home of a man named Tom Fletcher, an unemployed 38-year-old father of eight. While Fletcher benefited from Johnson’s welfare programs, he never managed to climb out of poverty. Fletchereven remarried and had two more children—one of which his new wife murdered to collect the burial benefits. As AEI president Arthur Brooks notes, “In 2004, with his wife still in prison, Fletcher...
Unemployment as economic-spiritual indicator — February 2017 report
Embed from Getty Images Series Note: Jobs are one of the most important aspects of a morally functioning economy. They help us serve the needs of our neighbors and lead to human flourishing both for the individual and munities. Conversely, not having a job can adversely affect spiritual and psychological well-being of individuals and families. Because unemployment is a spiritual problem, Christians in America need to understand and be aware of the monthly data on employment. Each month highlight the...
Video: Micah Watson on C.S. Lewis and democracy
On February 9th, the Acton Institute ed Micah Watson to the Mark Murray Auditorium to speak on the topic of “C.S. Lewis vs. Democracy” as part of the 2017 Acton Lecture Series. Watson, an associate professor of political science and the William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar Chair at Calvin College, guides us through an examination of the political thought of the brilliant and celebrated author known primarily for his works offiction and Christian apologetics. Lewis was skeptical of the ability of democratic...
Can you spare 12 minutes to learn the pillars of a free society?
Communicating the underlying pillars of a free and virtuous society is sometimes like describing the Kingdom of God: We can envision it, but detailing its operations to non-believers can be difficult. (This is largely for the same reason – both are so rarely observed upon earth.) Thankfully, the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has finished releasing a series of brief videos that describe the six pillars of a free society. Dr. Steve Davies, Head of Education at IEA, details...
Economist as prophet vs. savior
What do economists actually know? What can they possibly know? Assuming his usual role as the insider skeptic, economist Russ Roberts ponders those questions at length, concluding that far too much economic analysis is conducted and promoted with far too little humility. bination of economics with statistics in plex world promises a lot more than it delivers,” Robertswrites. “We economists should be more humble and honest about the reliability and precision of statistical analysis.” This is especially true in an...
What are the unintended consequences of American protectionism?
Protectionism is often associated with patriotic zeal and concern for America. While citizens should certainly have concern for their nation, protectionist measures do not necessarily secure the economic results desired. Acton’s director of research, Samuel Gregg, writes about the unintended effects of protectionism in a recent article for The Stream. These policies often hurt the very people they’re meant to help. Gregg, while admitting protectionism may be well-intended, indicates the superiority of free trade in bringing about human flourishing. Samuel...
The unique way economic revival in ‘flyover country’ may affect the Dutch elections
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte speaks as Geert Wilders looks on. (Richard van Elferen. CC BY 2.0.) As a wave of populism sweeps from Donald Trump’s Oval Office to the Brexit-ravaged headquarters of the European Union in Brussels, observers look to next week’s Dutch elections. Current polls show Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom (PVV) slipping a few seats behind Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy’s (VVD) – but, like Donald Trump, Wilders could outperform...
Education as liberation: 4 priorities for reform
With the recent appointment and confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, the movement for educational choice has plenty of reasons for optimism. Throughout the nomination process, opponents of DeVos ridiculed the school-choice movement for caring little about quality, equality, and opportunity, ignoring that these are the precise drivers of advocates for school choice. Given the abounding confusion and misrepresentation, I was reminded of a wonderful talk given by Professor Howard Fuller at the American Enterprise Institute, in which...
What you should know about deadweight loss
Note: This is post #24 in a weekly video series on basic microeconomics. When prices are controlled, the mutually profitable gains from free trade cannot be fully realized, creating what is known as deadweight loss. In this video by Marginal Revolution University, Alex Tabarrok shows how to calculate deadweight loss using our example of a price ceiling on gasoline. (If you find the pace of the videos too slow, I’d mend watching them at 1.5 to 2 times the speed....
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved