Cafod, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, has revealed to The Tablet that it has investigated and taken action over two cases of sexual misconduct in the past three years, although it was unable to reveal any further details at the time of going to press. It also said that an overseas employee has been put on leave in recent days whilst allegations raised by The Times newspaper are investigated. The paper reported that a number of aid workers from Oxfam had hired local prostitutes in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti that killed more than 200,000 people.
According to The Times investigation, an Oxfam staff member, who had been working in Haiti in 2011, amidst accusations of sexual misconduct, went on to work for CAFOD at some later point, after being dismissed by Oxfam. He was accused by a whistleblower of organising sex parties with prostitutes, as well as “bullying, harassing and exposing himself” to female co-workers.
Cafod declined to be interviewed, but in a statement the agency told The Tablet it was examining issues raised by the Times story – which it “had not been aware of previously” but due to staff confidentiality no further details were available and it couldn’t confirm The Times’ assertion that the employee was now based in the Philippines: “Cafod followed all its relevant processes and sought a written reference from his most recent employer when he started working with us, alongside a second reference from another referee. These references made no mention of the allegations that have since come to light as part of the Times’ investigation.”
Cafod explained it has procedures in place for protecting vulnerable people when working through local Church partners: “Our Code of Behaviour is regularly reviewed and applies to everyone associated with CAFOD. It sets out robust processes for recruitment, behaviour and dismissal including fraud, abuse, intimidation and sexual misconduct. We have strong safeguarding and whistle-blowing policies and practices in place to ensure that vulnerable people are protected.”
In the statement, Cafod Director Chris Bain added, “We have zero tolerance for misconduct and robust measures in place to protect the vulnerable communities we are seeking to support. We regularly communicate this to our staff and provide mechanisms for confidential whistle-blowing. We work through trusted Church partners overseas and have long-standing relationships with many of them. Our mission to support people to live life to the fullest gives us a moral duty to their care, and we hope to continue to have the trust of Catholics in the UK.”
Cafod also revealed that it has held fresh talks this week with several other UK-based international development agencies to strengthen information sharing and “standardise processes when it comes to handling complaints or issuing references, to further prevent those who have breached codes of conduct or engaged in abuse from being able to move between agencies.” The dialogue began in November.
PICTURE: A young boy brushes his younger sister's teeth in a displaced person camp in the Cite Soleil district of Port-au-Prince Saturday, December 11, 2010 ©PA
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