She said the organisation was “hurt”, but added: “There is no way this organisation can die… the world needs it.”<\/p>\n
Ms Byanyima, the most senior Oxfam executive to speak on the issue, said she first heard of the controversy after news reports last week.<\/p>\n
In an interview with the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent James Landale, she switched to speaking in her native Ugandan to make an apology: “From the bottom of my heart forgive us, forgive Oxfam.”<\/p>\n
She admitted she could not guarantee there were not sex offenders currently working at the organisation but vowed Oxfam would “build a new culture that doesn’t tolerate that behaviour”.<\/p>\n
She explained that the reforms that will take place at Oxfam will include:<\/p>\n
- \n
- setting up a high-level independent commission that will look into culture and practices at the organisation, with a mandate to investigate past and current claims of sexual exploitation<\/li>\n
- doubling the budget for the charity’s safeguarding team, and tripling the number of staff working in the department<\/li>\n
- setting up a global database of accredited referees to ensure sex offenders cannot falsify references and reoffend at other charities<\/li>\n
- making the organisation’s “whistleblowing mechanism” external, safe and confidential<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Earlier this month news reports said that during a humanitarian mission in Haiti in 2011, the charity’s country director\u00a0Roland van Hauwermeiren hired prostitutes at a villa paid for by Oxfam<\/a>.<\/p>\n
![\"Roland](\"https:\/\/ichef-1.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/5A3D\/production\/_100010132_mediaitem100010131.jpg\")
<\/span>Roland Van Hauwermeiren worked in Chad from 2006-09 before going to Haiti in 2010. (Image: VRT)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Mr Van Hauwermeiren, who left Oxfam in 2011 amid a sexual misconduct inquiry,\u00a0has denied hiring prostitutes but said he had “intimate relations”<\/a>\u00a0with a woman who was “not a prostitute”.<\/p>\n
Oxfam had staff working in Haiti following the earthquake in the country which killed about 200,000 people in 2010.<\/p>\n
As a result of the revelation, the charity has faced staunch criticism from the British government and\u00a0the Haitian president.<\/a><\/p>\n
International Development Secretary\u00a0Penny Mordaunt has threatened to cut the charity’s government funding<\/a>, which was \u00a332m last year.<\/p>\n
The charity has also lost a number of celebrity ambassadors including\u00a0Good Will Hunting actress Minnie Driver<\/a>, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu.<\/p>\n
Ms Byanyima said she was sad to lose ambassadors she “respects so much”, but added: “What hurts me most is out there in Haiti, there are poor women who have been abused and have not received justice.”<\/p>\n
The Charity Commission is to\u00a0launch a full inquiry into Oxfam<\/a>\u00a0as it has concerns the organisation may not have “full and frankly disclosed material details” about the Haiti sex scandal.<\/p>\n
On Thursday a new allegation came to light that a worker fired by Oxfam over sexual misconduct allegations in\u00a0Haiti was rehired later the same year by the charity<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Oxfam said its decision to rehire the man in Ethiopia was a “serious error”.<\/p>\n
Oxfam has almost 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries across the globe.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"