Plan International UK & International Committee of the Red Cross reveal sexual misconduct cases
Melanie May | 24 February 2018 | News
Plan International UK and the International Committee of the Red Cross are the latest charities to reveal cases of sexual misconduct.
In a statement on the charity’s safeguarding procedures, first published as a blog post on its website by Plan International UK’s CEO Tanya Barron on 22 February, Barron said that from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017, Plan International had six confirmed cases of sexual abuse and exploitation of children by staff, volunteers or partner organisations. One of these had involved a Plan International staff member and the other five were volunteers or partner organisations. None of the cases however involved any Plan International UK staff or any British citizens.
Barron states:
“The staff member was dismissed without a reference and contracts of volunteers or partner organisations were terminated. Five out of the total six cases were of a criminal nature and were reported to the local authorities.
“In all cases we linked victims and families with local support networks.”
In addition, during the same period, there were nine confirmed incidents of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct by staff against other adults, again none of whom were Plan International UK staff or any British citizens. In these cases, seven people were dismissed, and two, whose misconduct constituted use of inappropriate language, given a warning.
Barron also emphasises the charity’s commitment to safeguarding and says:
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“The painful but important truth to acknowledge is that sometimes things can go wrong. When they do, we are deeply sorry.
“We are fully committed to efforts among NGOs, government and the United Nations to make sure we do everything within our power to stop abuse, including strengthening our approaches to safeguarding and HR, and creating a culture that encourages staff to speak out.
“We will actively participate in the UK Government’s upcoming Safeguarding Summit.”
International Committee of the Red Cross
Following the disclosure of these incidents, the International Committee of the Red Cross said that it too had previously dismissed staff for sexual misconduct. It said 21 workers had been dismissed or had resigned since 2015 after having paid for sexual services.
In a statement published on its site on 23 February, ICRC Director-General Yves Daccord said:
“…since 2015 we’ve identified 21 staff members who were either dismissed for paying for sexual services or resigned during an internal enquiry. Another two staff members suspected of sexual misconduct did not have their contracts renewed. I am deeply saddened to report these numbers.”
“This behaviour is a betrayal of the people and the communities we are there to serve. It is against human dignity and we should have been more vigilant in preventing this.”
According to Daccord, the charity’s decentralised management system had made it difficult to accurately compile overall figures on misconduct but that looking at the data had revealed these 21 cases.
He also explains how the organisation is working to prevent and address staff misconduct:
“All staff are contractually bound by the ICRC’s Code of Conduct, which explicitly forbids the purchase of sexual services. This ban, in place since 2006, applies worldwide and at all times, including in locations where prostitution is legal, as the ICRC believes that staff paying for sex is incompatible with the values and mission of the organisation.”
He states that the charity had also launched a Global Compliance Office in spring 2017 to monitor and enforce staff adherence to its Code of Conduct, with all current processes and systems under constant review. Staff have also been provided with a confidential email address for raising any concerns.
He says:
“I am committed to fostering an ICRC culture that encourages staff to prevent, detect and report misconduct. All allegations are investigated. People must feel safe and empowered to raise concerns.
“It is so important that the silence that has surrounded this issue has been shattered. This is a watershed moment for the humanitarian sector as a whole. We owe it to the people we serve to behave with absolute integrity.”
The news follows the recent revelations regarding Oxfam staff in Haiti, and the resignation of UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Justin Forsyth.
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.