Abuse rife in BRITISH Oxfam shops: 123 cases of alleged sexual harassment in stores and NO criminal record checks for 23,000 volunteers

The Oxfam scandal widened dramatically last night after claims of sex abuse spread to its charity shops.

A whistle-blower revealed that the beleaguered charity has faced multiple allegations, including alleged abuse of children by its volunteers.

And it emerged that Oxfam had not carried out criminal record checks on the 23,000 volunteers who staff its 650 shops. The Mail has seen figures showing that 123 alleged incidents of sexual harassment have been investigated in its stores in just nine years.

Helen Evans, the charity’s former safeguarding chief, said she had begged senior staff, ministers and regulators to act on sexual abuse allegations she had uncovered.

She also revealed that Oxfam staff had faced allegations of trading aid for sex, attempted rape, sexual exploitation, sexual coercion and abuse. A survey found more than one in ten staff from programmes in three separate countries had seen or experienced sexual assaults.

Yesterday the scandal, which began with revelations that Oxfam workers had used prostitutes in Haiti in 2011, claimed its first scalp.

The charity’s deputy Penny Lawrence said she was ashamed and took full responsibility.

However chief executive Mark Goldring was refusing to step down.  (more...)

Abuse rife in BRITISH Oxfam shops: 123 cases of alleged sexual harassment in stores and NO criminal record checks for 23,000 volunteers

Background:

Inside Oxfam's 'Caligula orgy villa': Luxury £1,200-a-month mansion known as 'the whorehouse' where aid workers cavorted with half-naked prostitutes wearing the charity's T-shirts after devastating earthquake

Sounds like a Conservative fundraiser.