British inquiry: Oxfam GB failed to report sex abuse after 2010 Haiti quake

June 11 (UPI) -- British regulators said in a report Tuesday that humanitarian organization Oxfam GB failed to disclose cases of child abuse involving its workers in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

Oxfam GB has been under fire since allegations of sexual misconduct first surfaced, with 1,200 people canceling their direct deposit donations to the charity last year. Tuesday's report by the Charity Commission said girls and women forced into prostitution while living in refugee camps after losing their homes in the earthquake.

The inquiry also found evidence that Oxfam GB prioritized protecting its reputation and donor relationships over properly disclosing and reporting sexual abuse.

"The inquiry finds the charity failed to heed warnings, including from its own staff, that its culture and response around keeping people safe was inadequate, and made commitments to safeguarding that were not matched by its actions," the Charity Commission said in a statement.

Charity Commission CEO Helen Stephenson said Oxfam's internal culture tolerated poor behavior and lost sight of its values.

"The charity's leadership may have been well-intentioned," Stephenson said. "But our report demonstrated that good intentions have limited value when they are not matched with resources, robust systems and processes that are implemented on the ground, and more importantly, an organizational culture that prioritizes keeping people safe."

It also found that Oxfam didn't follow up with victims of sexual misconduct in Haiti, especially if they were minors, didn't report child abuse by Oxfam staff and didn't take the victims seriously enough. The discipline for staff who were implicated in sexual misconduct wasn't consistent, as senior staff had more lenient punishment than junior staff.

Stephenson credited whistle-blowers for bringing the case to their attention.

Moving forward, Stephenson said the charity's new leadership has acknowledged past mistakes and committed publicly to learning its lessons.

Oxfam GB is "deeply sorry" for failing to prevent sex abuse by former staff in Haiti, said the organization's Chair of Trustees Caroline Thomson.

"The Commission's findings are very uncomfortable for Oxfam GB but we accept them. We now know that the 2011 investigation and reporting of what happened in Haiti was flawed; more should have been done to establish whether minors were involved."