Transcripts For BBCNEWS Afternoon Live 20240714 : vimarsana.

BBCNEWS Afternoon Live July 14, 2024

Managed exit by the end of october. They must have the negotiating ability to deliver it. A mothers nightmare the nhs contaminated blood inquiry hears the impact on a family whose six children were all infected. I think she would be alive if it wasnt for what happened, because she was a strong woman. The tragedy has ripped her heart out. Must spy harder a government regulator says the storage and handling of large amounts of data by the Security Service mi5 is undoubtedly unlawful. Coming up on afternoon live, all the sport with ben croucher. Good afternoon. Wales manager ryan giggs has called on stronger sanctions for racism in football as his side prepare to play in budapest less tha n his side prepare to play in budapest less than three months of hungary we re less than three months of hungary were charged and fined £20,000 for racist behaviour by their fans in a game against slovakia. 3000 seats tonight will be shut off as a result. Thanks, ben. Looking miserable there, susan. The rain is looking pretty relentless at the moment. We will be looking at where, when and why and how long it could take four things to improve. Certainly an issue across the country at the moment. Thanks, susan. Also coming up 0n target for a century actress june spencer, who plays peggy in bbc radio drama the archers, reveals the secret of how shes still working as she turns 100. Hello, everyone. This is afternoon live. An independent report has severely criticised oxfam for the way it dealt with allegations of serious Sexual Misconduct by its staff, saying it ignored warnings and had a culture of tolerating poor behaviour. The Charity Commission has issued an official warning to oxfam after investigating reports that aid workers sent to help after the earthquake in haiti had used prostitutes. The revelations led to thousands of people cancelling their donations to the charity and the resignation of its chief executive. Oxfam gb has responded to the report saying it is deeply sorry for its failure to prevent sexual abuse by its former staff in haiti. The charity said the report would be a spur to greater improvement. Naomi grimley is in central london. How damaging is this report to the charity . It pulls no punches. It pulls no punches. It certainly doesnt. This is the report, and it is incredibly damning. It makes terrible reading for oxfam. It talks about how the charity lost sight of its values. It says there were early warnings and tip offs that things were not right in haiti, that sexual abuse was happening and yet those warnings we re happening and yet those warnings were ignored by Senior Management. It also says that when the charity discovered what went on, it was not frank and did not give a full account to the Charity Commission, to the uk authorities or to the haitian authorities. In a minute, we will hear more about what oxfam are saying. But first lets look back on the scandal that tainted a much loved national brand. In the aftermath of the 2010 haiti earthquake, group of oxfam workers used young roster juice earthquake, group of oxfam workers used young rosterjuice when they we re used young rosterjuice when they were supposed to be helping the local population recover. The charity dismissed four member is of staff and let three quietly resign without properly flagging up what had happened to either the haitian authorities or to regulators in the uk. Its because of this incident that 0xfa m its because of this incident that oxfam has now been given an official warning by the Charity Commission. The incidents in haiti were very dismaying. More broadly, because what we have done is looking to 0xfa m what we have done is looking to oxfam broadly, is that everyone feels very let down by oxfam. It is one of our best known charities in the united kingdom, it is there to put people first, and it failed to live up to peoples expectations. This was the man who caused the charity the most embarrassment, the director for haiti at the time. He resigned before an internal investigation was completed and then went on to work for other charities without them knowing about his background. The report says early warnings were missed. Even after the haiti incident, the charity repeatedly failed to do proper safeguarding checks, including on its uk staff. Whistle blowers like helen evans, a former head of safeguarding, was simply ignored. Aid agencies, a fundamental principle is do no harm. What good are they if they deliver sexual expectation . We hope this is the wake up call that expectation . We hope this is the wa ke up call that sector expectation . We hope this is the wake up call that sector needs. There are a lot of promises, but we need to see action and change. That ta ke need to see action and change. That take many years. 0xfa m take many years. Oxfam has paid a heavy price for this scandal. It lost 7000 donors who cancelled their subgroups and is in disgust, and it still cant bid for government contracts was up the charity is expected to give their response later. Today is a reminder 0xfa m response later. Today is a reminder oxfam still has some way to go before its reputation is restored to its former glory. Asi as i mentioned, oxfam has now released a statement. They say they are deeply sorry for what happened in haiti in 2011. They talk about the episode being shameful and they admit they should have done more, especially when it came to establishing that children might have been involved in that sexual abuse. So what is the charity trying to do now . It has appointed a new director of safeguarding, has a new chief executive, and it says it has dismissed 79 individuals in the last year, so it is trying to rehabilitate its reputation. Thank you. With us now is helen evans, who was oxfams global head of safeguarding until she resigned in 2015. Good to see you here. I think we need to pick up on what naomi was talking about there. In terms of the things that were going on, when we you first aware that all was not right, and what were you aware of . was appointed to head of safeguarding in 2012 and early on i was aware that this was not one of insta nces, was aware that this was not one of instances, that this issue was more pervasive across the organisation. I took to the Senior Management and trustees into thousand 1a, i had been raising concerns before that, but went to bed with an internal report which surveyed 120 people and 10 said they witnessed or experienced Sexual Assault perpetrated by oxfam workers. At that point, i said, we desperately need more resources to tackle this issue. That was not forthcoming and in 2015i issue. That was not forthcoming and in 20151 resigned. The word prostitution has been used was that her to save that that was going on . No, this was coercing survivors of that earthquake into sex for money asa that earthquake into sex for money as a matter of survival. That is not consent, when you are having sex just to survive. Survival sex, is that a phrase that is accepted . Just to survive. Survival sex, is that a phrase that is accepted7m isa that a phrase that is accepted7m is a phrase that i hear people say. I think we have to be clear about the position of power that these workers were in, and the extent to which they exploited these vulnerable women, children and men. 0ne vulnerable women, children and men. One of the main issues is the way they were allowed pretty much to get on with their lives. With the minimum of censure. Absolutely, that has come out of this report. Some of these individuals were able to go onto the next aid agency and therefore were at risk of committing more abuses, which should not have been the case was top it also raises the prospect that this is not something confined to one particular charity, oxfam, it is an indication that it charity, oxfam, it is an indication thatitis charity, oxfam, it is an indication that it is endemic throughout the charity sector. Do you have any evidence to support those claims . That was the conclusion of a report. That was the conclusion of a report. That was the conclusion of a report. That was my experience as well, it was part of a Global Task Force working with un agencies and aid sector agencies, and we shared those same concerns. Whether people in a position of power and people in a position of power and people in a position of power and people in a position of vulnerability, that is a toxic potential for exploitation. Position of vulnerability, that is a toxic potential for exploitationm is, but when you are talking about charity, you dont expect it to be. You dont, but no organisation is exempt from this. For aid agencies, the public quite rightly expect them to uphold the highest standards was up to uphold the highest standards was up in this case, as the report says, they fell short. You saw what you saw, heard what you heard, you went into print. You asked to see the chief executive of oxfam at the time. What happened . As i have had said publicly before, disappointingly i had a meeting planned with the Leadership Team and are now before the meeting i was told i was no needed. I wrote to him and said, why has my opportunity to present on this report been pulled . They said, we didnt feel you could add anything further stop they already knew, you think . They had the report and i didnt get an opportunity to speak to that. At that point, i wrote to the chief executive, why have you pulled me from that meeting . That was really the Tipping Point at which i thought, how can i continue working with this organisation when they are not taking this seriously . How did they respond when they when you said you were going mug they committed to having a review. The thing that surprised me when i was briefed on the Charity Commission report, that Strategic Review didnt ta ke report, that Strategic Review didnt take place in 2015. The minimum they promised, to conduct that review, and they didnt. If they had, they might be further along that they are 110w. Might be further along that they are now. It is inevitable that we are looking at the report pot conclusion, looking at the wider impact on the charity and wider charities. But the risk of that is you lose sight of the real harm that has been done here. Absolutely. At the heart of this, there are children, women and men who have been abused who we didnt do enough to protect. That is absolutely the fundamental human principle is, do no harm and home is been done. We have to make sure we are not here again for stopping 2002 we had the same issue in the west african food with sex scandal. Here we are again in 2019. We have to make sure we are not here again in ten or 15 years was it is a global issue with foreign aid workers was up other regulators in existence that can deal with this, or do we need something international, with teeth . You have hit the nail on the head. We need a global aid ombudsman. It is an international issue. These organisations work across many countries will stop the Charity Commission work with uk focus to charities was to pack. How can you compare that to a Global Charity . I believe the Charity Commission needs more resources. They have seen their resources cut and cut and cut and to hold charities to account and to give the Public Confidence that their money is being well spent, the Charity Commission needs more resources. 0xfa m commission needs more resources. Oxfam have put out a lengthy response, once again apologising for what happened. It is a long list of measures they say they have taken, tripled money for safeguarding, created a director of safeguarding, trained staff to investigate allegations. They have asked for more survivors to come forward. That is just more survivors to come forward. That isjust a more survivors to come forward. That is just a handful of many proposals was is that anything they can say that goes far enough to perhaps suggest they can go forward with not a clean bill of health, because they havent got that, but they intend to tackle this question mug it is deeds, not words will stop we can have fine words, set up a hotline, but proof of the change will be in the actions taken. That is what we have got to wait and see, whether that culture will change. Crucially, it is how the public response was up thousands of people cancelled their direct debits to oxfam as a result of this was top would you give money to oxfam at the moment . of this was top would you give money to oxfam at the moment . I believe in the aid sector, i travel with my work and i see the positive impact that can be achieved with aid agencies. But they need to be the principle of do no harm. I believe in the sector, but it has to reform, as does oxfam. But would you give them any money at the moment . think they are not alone. This is a sector wide issue and i think if you ask that question you have to ask that question of all the aid agencies will stop if im watching you now and i think i would like to give money to charity, here is a lady who knows about this sector and im thinking about parting with my money, what youre saying is, at the moment, you wouldnt . I think they have still got changes to make. Good to talk to you. Thank you. Andrea leadsom and mark harper are the latest candidates to launch their campaigns to replace theresa may as Tory Party Leader and become the countrys next Prime Minister. The leadership rivals split sharply on brexit, with mrs leadsom saying parliament cannot block a no deal departure, and mr harper declaring it impossible for the uk to leave at the end of october. Later this afternoon, it will be the turn of rory stewart to set out his stall. Nick eardley reports. Reporter good morning, mrjohnson. Planning on keeping your head down again today, sir . Weve not heard much from him, but weve heard a lot about him. Borisjohnson is the man to catch in the leadership race. Anything to say, mrjohnson . With his plan to leave the eu on the 31st of 0ctober, come what may. Ladies and gentlemen, im delighted to introduce Andrea Leadsom. Launching her campaign this morning, she agrees and believes it can be forced through. I do not think that parliament actually has the ability to prevent us from leaving at the end of october, which is the legal default position. My managed exit offers sensible measures that sensible politicians, both here in parliament and in the European Union, will, in my opinion, agree to. There is a sense of deja vu around here. Most of our would be Prime Ministers say they want to renegotiate the brexit deal to get rid of the controversial bits, but an agreement that satisfies brussels and westminster has proved elusive over the last two years, and theres been little sign that brussels wants to change its mind. For months, theyve been saying this. The Withdrawal Agreement remains the best and only deal possible. No, no, no, no, no, no. No. No renegotiation. A message repeated today. And the election of a new Prime Minister will, of course, not change the parameters of what is on the table. So how do you match that with the pitches at home . Boris johnson still thinks changes in technology can provide a solution on the irish border, so does michael gove. Jeremy hunt is convinced European Union leaders know changes are needed. And matt hancock thinks he can secure a new deal in a matter of weeks. I would propose to put my plan, which ive already published, to the house of commons, in principle, immediately. And therefore show the European Union that this plan is deliverable through the house of commons. One of the lesser known faces in the leadership race, launching his campaign today, said that plan was for the birds. It is not credible to say you can re negotiate the Withdrawal Agreement and get it through both houses of parliament by the 31st of october. He also argues that europe will have to make changes to get the deal through. They are saying they want us through. They are saying they want us to leave without a Withdrawal Agreement, i dont think that would bea agreement, i dont think that would be a reasonable position. As westminster awaits a new Prime Minister, conversations in brussels continue. Today it was scotlands first minister meeting europes chief brexit negotiator. She had this to say in the conservative race. Weve got delusion around brexit which is not new but continuing, the whole thing is a horror show and really is showing the tory party in their true colours. I think all of the candidates would be disastrous. The fight to be our next Prime Minister has weeks left to play, but with storm clouds gathering on brexit, urgent reconstruction work required on any deal, at the end of it awaits a job that will be complicated at best, almost impossible at worst. Nick eardley, bbc news, westminster. We can now cross to westminster to speak to our chief Political Correspondent, vicki young. What am i missing here . We have got people saying that they can fix brexit, they can get the deal through, but they are all part of a government which pateley hasnt. That is the question they are being asked. Some of the leadership contenders are making that point. That was what mark harper was saying, all of the candidates are talking about some kind of renegotiation, but he says it is not credible to say that can happen by 0ctober credible to say that can happen by october 31, because there isnt much time left. The commission is evolving, they wont be in place in time, their chief negotiator is changing. How can you possibly say you can do that and get it through parliament . Its impey wont happen. The argument from some of those leadership contenders is you change the Prime Minister, you change the dynamic, different people in the room, dynamic, different people in the room , you dynamic, different people in the room, you can change the momentum. In the end, used to have have a smacker you still have to have a sense of reality. The eu saying clearly that the technology o

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