Oxfam's deputy CEO resigns over sex crimes scandal

Oxfam's deputy chief executive has resigned amid a growing sex crimes scandal involving the organization's aid workers in Haiti and Chad. Penny Lawrence is the first executive at the organization to quit after the scandal and allegations of a coverup emerged last week. Oxfam announced the resignation after a meeting with UK government officials Monday, at which it had fought to keep millions of pounds in public funding. 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 between 200,000 and 300,000 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. The Times newspaper in London made the allegations in an investigation published at the end of last week.
"It is now clear that these allegations -- involving the use of prostitutes and which related to behavior of both the Country Director and members of his team in Chad -- were raised before he moved to Haiti," Lawrence said, referring to van Hauwermeiren.
"As program director at the time, I am ashamed that this happened on my watch and I take full responsibility."
Oxfam is one of the UK's largest and most prominent aid organizations, operating development programs in more than 90 countries around the world. The agency also offers assistance to people after emergencies and disasters.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt warned that Oxfam could lose millions of pounds in public funding because of the scandal. Oxfam received about £32 million (about $44 million) from the government last year, according to public records.
Mordaunt said on Monday that the organization made a "full and unqualified apology" to her and to the people of Britain and Haiti. In a statement, Mordaunt said that the charity apologized for "the appalling behavior of some of their staff in Haiti in 2011, and for the wider failings of their organization's response to it."