The compassion that makes us recoil from stories of sexual exploitation also compels us to go on supporting charities
The British public has a deep social contract with charities, which makes a real difference for the world’s poor, averting famine in Somalia last year. As the international development secretary, Penny Mordaunt, noted: “The poorest in our own nation are giving generously to others less fortunate than themselves, time after time.” But since the Harvey Weinstein scandal in Hollywood, disturbing revelations of sexual abuse have swept through politics, business and now the aid sector. Some of the biggest names in development have been hit by allegations of sexual misconduct, at home and abroad.
The succession of scandals requires immediate and concrete action to restore trust in two areas: the protection of vulnerable people, and evidence that aid makes a difference. It is clear that when dealing with traumatised, impoverished and often uprooted people, the duty to protect lies with aid agencies. Every British charity that recruits people to work abroad should be held, by law, to the same standard as agencies working with vulnerable people at home. This would require a vetting system, like the one for UK schools, to be put in place for aid workers that could screen potential recruits for previous complaints of sexual abuse. A global industry needs a global system of checks; an agency like Interpol could oversee such a system. This would help keep high-risk predatory men out of the charitable sector.
Continue reading...from Voluntary Sector Network | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2I3ccvc
0 comments:
Post a Comment