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AL-DALLI: Denounce Oxfam

Recent revelations of abuse and sexual exploitation have demonstrated that immediate change within the humanitarian sphere is imperative

<p>As opposed to carrying out the supposedly humanitarian goals of its mission, Oxfam — whose headquarters in Oxford, UK is pictured here — directly perpetuates human suffering.</p>

As opposed to carrying out the supposedly humanitarian goals of its mission, Oxfam — whose headquarters in Oxford, UK is pictured here — directly perpetuates human suffering.

Oxfam is inherently hypocritical. The core pillar of the humanitarian principle, humanity, emphasizes that the goal of aid should be to alleviate human suffering. As opposed to carrying out the supposedly humanitarian goals of its mission, Oxfam directly perpetuates human suffering. If a humanitarian organization is unable to fulfill its core mandate, that agency must be held accountable for its actions. For that reason, donors must reduce their funding of organizations that are guilty of abuse in crises.

The pattern of sexual exploitation and abuse in the humanitarian sphere has persisted for decades. In 2016, World Vision reported 10 incidents of “sexual exploitation or abuse of a child.”  In 2002, Save the Children and the UNHCR investigated abuse. Out of a total of 1,500 surveyed, researchers documented 67 allegations of abuse, some of which included “trading humanitarian commodities and services … in exchange for sex with girls under 18.” Other reports documented cases where children traded “sex with aid workers and peacekeepers in exchange for food” and carried out “lesbian sexual displays.” UN peacekeepers are also part of the problem, causally using the term “peacekeeper babies” for children of native women they impregnate. Clearly this problem has persisted without resolution, and is not a singular, isolated incident.  

Within Oxfam specifically, the individual actors that perpetrated the abuse were previously on record for sexual exploitation. The organization admits that Roland van Hauwermeiren, the Oxfam country director in Haiti, “[hired] sex workers in Chad in 2006 — the year that hundreds of thousands of refugees from a genocidal war in Sudan created a public health crisis in Chad.” After being allowed to serve as Haiti’s country director even though Oxfam was aware of the atrocities in Chad, van Hauwermeiren and other aid workers ran a self-proclaimed “whorehouse,” where “girls [wore] Oxfam T-shirts, running around half-naked.” On top of that, Oxfam tried to cover up the scandal by limiting the investigation into van Hauwermeiren. The evidence clearly incriminates Oxfam as an organization. Not only did the organization ignore previous inhumane actions, it tried to hide the evidence.  

It is indisputable that Oxfam authorities were completely aware of the atrocities committed by the country director for Haiti. Deputy Chief Executive Penny Lawrence resigned earlier this year, feeling “ashamed” and taking “full responsibility.” Whatever shred of legitimacy came with the argument that this was an isolated incident unknown to the leaders of the organization is gone. These heinous facts demand immediate change within the humanitarian sphere.  

The cluster system, a method for organizing aid by creating general categories such as health and shelter, and the institutions backing it continue to grapple with the concept of accountability. Sanctions against poor practices by humanitarian actors are rarely implemented. A variety of watchdog organizations, such as Report the Abuse — dissolved in 2017 — and Code Blue, have been formed to curb abuse but have failed to yield significant results. In the words of the founder of Code Blue, Paula Donovan: "the world was horrified for a short period of time. Aid groups would say it's terrible, we're going to strengthen our systems and everybody is appeased.” Empty rhetoric and investigative bureaucracy will not bring about any more change than it already has.  

Cutting funding to aid organizations who perpetuate human rights abuses is the solution to this problem. The argument that reducing the donations to major NGOs like Oxfam will only hurt the recipients of aid is an unsubstantiated ploy to keep control in the grasp of the “Humanitarian Club,” a group of humanitarian actors composed of the UN and the most powerful international NGOs. There are plenty of local NGOs working on sustainable grassroots efforts to relieve burdened populations. At the moment, these groups receive less than 0.6 percent of global aid. Increasingly, global humanitarian crises are becoming more complex, and the major actors are unable to respond to every situation. Local groups are uniquely able to respond quickly to disasters and shape each response in a culturally sensitive fashion. 

Following humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence, aid workers in the field consider accountability the fifth humanitarian principle, and it is intrinsic in these groups’ responses, as they are part of the communities they seek to help. The humanitarian system should focus on transitioning funding away from larger groups that have a record of exploitation towards localized efforts. Humanitarian experts have called for the empowerment of local organizations for some time. Punishing bad actors is the perfect opportunity to support others who have demonstrated a commitment to long-term sustainability and development efforts.

Overall, the facts are clear. Major aid organizations are not doing enough to eliminate exploitation of impacted communities. There is a recurring trend of abuse by humanitarian workers against local populations. The system must find a way to punish these sorts of behaviors. Funding, the instrument that is necessary for the existence of these organizations, can be used as a powerful tool to initiate real change. If Oxfam is faced with the question of its own survival, it will definitely investigate the root of the problem and launch reforms that it has neglected in the past.

Ameen Al-Dalli is a second-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences. 

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