Haiti suspends Oxfam Britain pending investigation into sexual abuse
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Aid group Oxfam Great Britain will be suspended from operating in Haiti for the next two months pending an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by its employees, a government official said Thursday.
Haiti is investigating how Oxfam Great Britain responded to reports that some of its staff used prostitutes while working in the country in the aftermath of the devastating January 2010 earthquake, said Minister of Planning and External Cooperation Aviol Fleurant. It is also trying to determine whether some of the prostitutes may have been underage.
Authorities consider it a “serious crime” for an adult to have sex with anyone under 18, Fleurant said. He said the Haitian government is “shocked at the highest level” about reports of misconduct by employees of the organization.
Oxfam International Regional Director Simon Ticehurst said he and others with the organization have been meeting with Haitian officials and providing information to assist with the investigation.