Oxfam chief: Sex-abuse claims a stain on the organization

Reports that Oxfam staff members sexually exploited people in crisis zones are "a stain" that shames the charity, the organizations chief said in an interview broadcast today.
But the head of Oxfams British arm, the branch of the aid agency at the center of the scandal, said the attacks on the organization are "out of proportion" to its mistakes.
Oxfam International executive director Winnie Byanyima said she is appointing an independent commission to investigate the allegations that staff members used prostitutes in Haiti after the countrys 2010 earthquake, and also in Chad. She urged all victims of abuse to come forward.

"Im here for all the women who have been abused. I want them to come forward and for justice to be done for them," she told the BBC.
Byanyima said the commission would "look into our culture and our practices" and set up a vetting system for its staff.
UK-based Oxfam has been rocked by allegations that senior staff working in Haiti after the countrys 2010 earthquake faced misconduct allegations, including using prostitutes and downloading pornography. The allegations relate to Oxfam GB, one of the 20 affiliate organizations that make up Oxfam International.
Oxfam says it investigated the case, fired four workers and let three others resign, but the British government and charity regulators have criticized its lack of transparency.