Britain’s foreign aid department plunged into charity sex abuse scandal after minister admits up to four staff were reported over harassment claims last year
BRITAIN'S foreign aid department was plunged into the charities sex scandal today after four complaints of sexual misconduct were recorded against its staff.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt has ordered an urgent review after a handful of allegations were made.
After weeks of allegations from several charities who had failed to address complaints of sexual harassment in international aid projects, now ministers could be implicated too.
The Department for International Development works with charities around the world to deliver vital aid to some of the most needy people.
Overseas minister Hariett Baldwin said in a written question today that "under five" staff were reported for sexual harassment last year.
But the Department refused to give an exact figure,
She said: "DFID’s standards of conduct set out the ethical behaviours and controls required in our day to day work to incorporate the key principles based on the UN’s code on sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian crises."
Just this week the Aid Secretary Ms Mordaunt slammed charities for being complicit in a grotesque exploitation of the vulnerable, saying: "you cannot help people whilst paying them for sex".
She said the Oxfam aid worker sex scandal showed the sector had failed to grip the problem - while others turned a blind eye to abuse.
Her speech comes after the charity was temporarily suspended in Haiti pending an investigation into how it handled the case of former staff paying for sex.
MOST READ IN POLITICS
And yesterday it was revealed that women in Syria were being forced to trade sex for food by UN couriers - and charities faced claims they were turning a blind eye for THREE YEARS.
Former Aid Secretary Priti Patel slammed The Guardian for sitting on the charity sex pest story - and said they had showed a "callous lack of a responsibility" too.
A Labour spokesman said: "In light of the sexual harassment scandal in aid agencies, it’s important we also have transparency in relation to these cases of sexual harassment inside a key government department."