Oxfam sexual misconduct scandal involving aid workers in Haiti

VorZakone

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The feck?

Oxfam's leaders are accused of trying to cover up the behavior of some of its senior staff members deployed to Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

The aid workers -- including the Oxfam country director at the time, Roland van Hauwermeiren -- were accused of turning a villa rented by the organization into a makeshift brothel, with prostitutes wearing only Oxfam T-shirts
https://www.google.nl/amp/s/amp.the...s-oxfam-identify-workers-who-used-prostitutes
 

SteveJ

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Haven't seen it yet.
 

Rightnr

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I would not put anything past Mogg. He's as slimy as they come.
 

SmashedHombre

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Unfortunately this isn't a unique case. I would even say that in most impoverished countries that have aid workers, you'll have some of those aid workers involved in prostitution and paedophilia. Even the UN have a shit reputation for this.
 

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@Mike Schatner that is no way funny, I didn't quote you so you have the opportunity to delete or change that horrible comment so it is no longer visible.
 

Xcited

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Heard on the radio before that this is a big problem with UN Peacekeeping troops as well.
Indeed. Almost all cases of aid being provided are tainted with a small percentage aid-givers taking advantage of people and the environment they are in.

They has to be some regulations or monitoring introduced to try and limit this. No doubt this is already in place, but the current plan needs to be reconsidered as it's clearly not working.
 

SmashedHombre

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Heard on the radio before that this is a big problem with UN Peacekeeping troops as well.
Where I live, the UN were here in large numbers 15 years a go. They basically just set up their own brothels, including a hell of a lot of underage prostitution. A lot of people were happy to see them leave.

What's surprising about this Oxfam case is that it wasn't covered up better. Seems like these organisations have plenty of experience in that area.
 

jackofalltrades

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Is the issue here alleged underage prostitution, or prostitution with donated funds, or prostitution on private time?
Some bloke on LBC ( UN workerI think ) is saying in Sarajevo he spent allowance money given to him on prostitutes but it sounds like he considers it as part pf his salary, which he chose to spend that way. His argument seems to be that it was his hard-earned money so he could spend it as is he liked, in other words, a private matter. Couldn't listen to all the interview, though.

A different case would be if it was funds which was supposed to be spent on the needs of others and in the case of the prostitutes, their age.
 

Silva

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Underage prostitution: throw book at them
Prostitution with donated funds: unethical and probably illegal. Sackings deserved
Adult prostitution on private time with private funds: overreaction from moral police
these people go from disaster area to disaster area and instead of doing their job of helping of people are setting up brothels where they take advantage of local people, then the people meant to be giving them organisational support from overseas spend their time covering up the events

burn the whole thing and and give the money to a different, not-rapey, organisation
 

villain

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Correct me if i'm wrong, but a prostitute works for sex, yes?

Were the victims prostitutes beforehand?
How are victims as young as 14 being labelled prostitutes, or being made out as if they "traded money for sex" if they aren't able to consent?
 

adexkola

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these people go from disaster area to disaster area and instead of doing their job of helping of people are setting up brothels where they take advantage of local people, then the people meant to be giving them organisational support from overseas spend their time covering up the events

burn the whole thing and and give the money to a different, not-rapey, organisation
How is that covered in anything I said?

If activities were conducted on private time with private funds, and otherwise they did their jobs at disaster sites across the world, how is anything you said applicable?

For the other items, yes, you're correct. Any confirmation on what they actually did?
 

Silva

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How is that covered in anything I said?

If activities were conducted on private time with private funds, and otherwise they did their jobs at disaster sites across the world, how is anything you said applicable?

For the other items, yes, you're correct. Any confirmation on what they actually did?
the events were known by and reported to oxfam at the time

they used an oxfam rented villa as a brothel, that's the central claim here, it wasn't a case of one dude picking up street workers
 

adexkola

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the events were known by and reported to oxfam at the time

they used an oxfam rented villa as a brothel, that's the central claim here, it wasn't a case of one dude picking up street workers
If they rented a villa and put prostitutes up in there to be patronized, then yes that's worthy of condemnation. I don't think bringing a prostitute back to your room falls under that though.
 

Silva

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If they rented a villa and put prostitutes up in there to be patronized, then yes that's worthy of condemnation. I don't think bringing a prostitute back to your room falls under that though.
you didn't even have to read the entire article, OP helpfully quoted the central claim for you

and yes, getting prostitutes in a disaster area where dead bodies are lying everywhere and and injured people screaming for help all day and night is worthy of condemnation, it's completely fecking sociopathic

220000 people had just died, another 300000 were injured and in desperate need for immediate help
 
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adexkola

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you didn't even have to read the entire article, OP helpfully quoted the central claim for you

and yes, getting prostitutes in a disaster area where dead bodies are lying everywhere and and injured people screaming for help all day and night is worthy of condemnation, it's completely fecking sociopathic

220000 people had just died, another 300000 were injured and in desperate need for immediate help
Lot of ambiguity in the media response to this, not including the OP.

Stop being melodramatic.
 

Silva

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Lot of ambiguity in the media response to this, not including the OP.

Stop being melodramatic.
Oxfam said it had received legal advice “that given the nature of the allegations, especially with the continued upheaval and chaos post the earthquake, it was extremely unlikely that any action would be taken”.
this was at the time, they literally went "loooool who gives a shit"

maybe give reading a shot instead of chatting shit all the time
 

Silva

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Doesn't anyone find the UK government's response somewhat hypocritical and cynical ?
• Until the UK government found itself in the icy grip of neoliberalism, our overseas aid programme was managed in recipient countries by British civil servants. To save money and reduce criticism by aid charities such as Oxfam of its overseas development policy, the government has contracted out the work once done by civil servants to cheaper aid charity workers, making these charities dependent on fees the government pays them to carry out the work. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that our current penny-pinching overseas aid apparatus lacks the necessary rigorous control systems.
Peter Robbins
Author, Stolen Fruit: The Tropical Commodities Disaster
 

Ødegaard

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Correct me if i'm wrong, but a prostitute works for sex, yes?

Were the victims prostitutes beforehand?
How are victims as young as 14 being labelled prostitutes, or being made out as if they "traded money for sex" if they aren't able to consent?
I think they work for money.
 

Silva

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Good for you if your time restricts you to getting your news from the OP, instead, of, like, anywhere else. In the meantime, jog on.
your line of questioning in this thread indicates that you jumped in head first reading little more than the title, hence nothing but chatting shit

oxfam has confirmed knowing at the time, and that company funds were used for prostitution
 
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villain

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I think they work for money.
“For the executive to know these crimes were committed and to allow those people to leave without informing the authorities is wrong,” he said. “We might be dealing with a paedophile ring. Prostitution is illegal and we believe they may have been underage kids.”
Prostitution is illegal, and if they were underage, they couldn't have consented to sex - therefore it's rape. Not prostitution, at worst it's pedophilia.

That's why i'm confused why its being called a prostitution ring, because they aren't able to have "traded for sex", a trade implies equal levels of power.
 

Ødegaard

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Prostitution is illegal, and if they were underage, they couldn't have consented to sex - therefore it's rape. Not prostitution, at worst it's pedophilia.

That's why i'm confused why its being called a prostitution ring, because they aren't able to have "traded for sex", a trade implies equal levels of power.
I was merely correcting the comment that they work for sex.
They use sex-work for money. So the end-goal is money.

It's wrong either way.
 

villain

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I was merely correcting the comment that they work for sex.
They use sex-work for money. So the end-goal is money.

It's wrong either way.
I understand what you’re saying, but you’ve got hurricane victims who could’ve lost everything they own, family members, suffering from PTSD etc being offered money - of course some are going to accept.
But that represents an abuse of power, and manipulating the vulnerable, on the part of the aid workers.
And if they were underage, then it can’t be classed as sex anyway, by definition.
Therefore I fail to see how they are prostitutes.
 

Ødegaard

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I understand what you’re saying, but you’ve got hurricane victims who could’ve lost everything they own, family members, suffering from PTSD etc being offered money - of course some are going to accept.
But that represents an abuse of power, and manipulating the vulnerable, on the part of the aid workers.
And if they were underage, then it can’t be classed as sex anyway, by definition.
Therefore I fail to see how they are prostitutes.
Are you?
You're arguing for something I haven't even commented on.
 

villain

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Are you?
You're arguing for something I haven't even commented on.
You’re right, I didn’t read properly :lol:
Slightly worrying but I’ve barely had 6 hours sleep since Sunday so I’ll blame that
 

Denis79

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Underage prostitution: throw book at them
Prostitution with donated funds: unethical and probably illegal. Sackings deserved
Adult prostitution on private time with private funds: overreaction from moral police
You think these women prostitute themselves because they enjoy the sex? They are trying to survive because their country is in shambles, and that aid workers exploit these women is outrageous and so is your idiotic statement.