The Oxfam scandal does not justify demonising the entire aid sector

The #MeToo movement has been sparking change across the world. Now the humanitarian community has become the latest sector forced to recognise it has a serious problem that has been neglected for too long.

The scandal has highlighted sexual abuse committed by Oxfam staff in Haiti in 2011. Employees who paid for sex were allowed to resign and, while the incident could have been handled better, it sparked a change in the organisation. They introduced stronger policies and processes, strengthened their investigative department. Oxfam began taking a zero-tolerance policy in actions, not just words. Were an accusation made now, it would be handled differently.

That does not excuse the actions that were taken by Oxfam staff in 2011, or even the organisation’s reaction at the time. Nor has Oxfam been the only humanitarian organisation experiencing and trying to tackle this problem. As a sector we are learning how to respond to sexual misconduct issues better – more sensitively, confidently, without sacrificing the survivor in the centre – often with thousands of employees taken from a hundred different nationalities operating in dozens of different countries simultaneously. It is not easy to address these issues perfectly, but we are trying.

It is easy to demonise an entire sector, but that is dangerous. The humanitarian community needs to unite, support one another and push forward. This is not a time for dissension, nor should Oxfam be treated as a scapegoat for a sector-wide issue. Oxfam has admitted it can do better; that honesty must be encouraged, and emulated by other humanitarian organisations. Anything less does all such organisations – not to mention their employees, and the local populations they assist – a disservice.

One response to the Haiti allegations has been to suggest that Oxfam, and other humanitarian organisations, should be defunded. Greater accountability and transparency regarding sexual misconduct among humanitarian donors should be encouraged, and I have been urging Britain’s Department for International Development, Global Affairs Canada, and others to do so for the past two years.

However, defunding humanitarian organisations is not the answer. The impact would be felt most strongly not by the employees of Oxfam or other humanitarian organisations, but by the people we serve on the ground. Tossing out the entire humanitarian community, or even just one humanitarian organisation, is not going to solve the aid industry’s problems. It would only harm beneficiaries and further break down survivors.

As one of those survivors, drugged and raped by a colleague while working in South Sudan, I feel quite strongly that dragging down the sector serves no purpose. Despite having been harmed while undertaking humanitarian work, I feel no ill will for humanitarian action as a whole; the hundreds of survivors I communicate with on a regular basis express similar feelings. What will help is pushing for more change, encouraging humanitarian organisations to act, and providing them with the resources to do so.

Humanitarian action is now more necessary than ever. We are facing a worldwide refugee crisis , growing and protracted conflicts. Genocide beckons in Myanmar, and the besiegement of Yemen is driving increasingly desperate needs. The vast majority of humanitarians work to alleviate these circumstances, in the small yet meaningful ways we can. It is a small minority that contributes to the issues under discussion here. Ensuring the safe operation of humanitarian organisations is imperative for the future of our world. We need more assistance for such organisations, to ensure that they can deliver the highest quality programming, in the safest manner, to the world’s most vulnerable people.

Defunding is not the answer. Industry reform – not least increased transparency and accountability from donors and humanitarians – is what’s needed. Humanitarians must be held to the same standards as staff in other care industries, with stronger background checks undertaken and training improved. Whistleblower policies and investigation procedures must be strengthened. Continuing to have honest, difficult, and challenging conversations about how we operate as humanitarian organisations – and encouraging those who see something, to say something – is how we reach the end goal of safer humanitarian operations.

Only by allowing continued space for change and growth will we prevent another Haiti or Chad or South Sudan. We move forward through acknowledgement, planning, and action – which is exactly what Oxfam did post-Haiti 2011, and what other humanitarian organisations are doing now.

Just as the problem ranges beyond one humanitarian organisation, so too must the solution. From the aid community to donors and the general public – the UN to the smallest NGO – we must all demand more, holding humanitarian organisations and ourselves accountable. Let’s start now. Vulnerable populations and those who serve them deserve nothing less.