NIne films have been nominated for Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star.&nbsp; 
These films are a mix of varied Indian languages, powerful and bold themes and also deal with social issues that are sure to pinch contemporary viewers and force them to think about social stigma that exists in our stereotype society. 
This year, filmmakers, producers, and artists are challenged by Oxfam to scratch their heads and ponder over notions that are presented in their pieces of craftsmanship in such a way that6 it breaks the monotony of portrayal of female and male characters in the movies. "Cinema Beyond Stereotypes'' is the theme for the award.

In 2017, Rima Das' Assamese film 'Village Rockstars' won the Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award at MAMI and later bagged the National Award and is now India's official entry to the Oscars.&nbsp; 
The jury would include a trio- director Rima Das,National Award winning actor Parvathy and CEO of the Doha Film Institute Fatima Al Remaihi. 
The list includes films that touch almost all the social taboos that exist in our society i.e, from 'Imago', a Marathi film that revolves around an introvert teenage girl who falls the victim of leukoderma and the crises that she has to bear, 'Hamid' that portrays two sides of the Kashmir issue from the point of view of an 8 year old child and also a Kannada movie- 'Belakempa' that brings hoem a story about a young couple and childless parents .&nbsp;

Moreover, the list also includes 'Jonaki' that paints &nbsp;a picture &nbsp;of an 80 year old lady, still in search of love .

Well on the part bof the jury, making judgements has got a little tougher as the list also includes ‘Soni’ a Hindi film directed by Ivan Ayr; ‘Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil’ directed by Aadish Keluskar; ‘Light In The Room’ (‘Ottamuri Velicham’) directed by Rahul Riji Nair; Kannada film ‘Nathicharami’ directed by Mansore and ‘Sivaranjani And Two Other Women’, a Tamil film directed by Vasanth S Sai. 
Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India said: 
“We are thrilled that this year the number of shortlisted films have increased from four films last year to nine. This is a reflection of the changing times then cinema industry worldwide. Stories that uphold a mirror to socio-political realities in India and that defy stereotypes of caste, class and gender are being made, accepted and appreciated. Women in films are making space to be heard both on and off-screen. The award is to appreciate, celebrate and support stories and people in the industry challenging the status quo. The shortlisted films are in different Indian languages--- Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and each film has an arresting narrative. It gives us great joy that last year's winner 'Village Rockstars' is this year India’s entry for the Oscars." 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;Fate of the winners and the artists will be decided by Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at MAMI on November 1st, 2018, which also happens to be the night of &nbsp;closing ceremony of the festival. 
Synopsis of the films have been deliberately given as under: 
Imago, a Marathi film , directed by Karan Chavan and Vikram Patil portrays the story of Namrata , and introvert teenage girl residing in a small village who falls the victim of &nbsp;leucoderma or vitiligo, a skin disease. Weird, concerning, penetrating ‘normal’ eyesight has made her feel remoarseful and embarrassed for her own identity and and looks until a young and vibrant teacher joins her school.&nbsp; 
'Hamid' is another film that is directed by Ajiaz Khan and is in Hindi. The story centers around an eight year old kid called Hamid who somehow comes to know that 786 is Almighty's contact number and thus tries to ring him frequently. He wishes to talk to his father who has gone to Allah , as told by his mother. Eventually, the call gets answered and years other f strife of two iundividuals come to an end. 
'Balekempa' , another KLannada movie under the direction of Ere Gowda portrays the story of a couple - a bangle seller and his wife who cannot conceive &nbsp;a child. Thus, in a male dominbating society concealed desires and relationaships find a way to exist in harmony, that also lead the s audience to raise their eyebrows in suspense weather husband's secret would spill out. 
'Soni' and 'Jaon Kahan Bata Ae Dil' are two other remarkable story lines that have been directed by Ivan Ayr and Aadish Keluskar respectively. 'Soni' revoleves around a girl from Delhi, a policewoman and her superintendent, and is &nbsp;tested to its limits when they suffer a major setback in their fight to curb the most serious social crisis of a generation.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;While 'Jaaon Kahan Bata Ae Dil' rests on relatioshships , their growth and detrioration, romance and reality go hand in hand. 
'Light in the Rom' and 'Nathicharami' are other films that have been nominated by Oxfam. The former has been directed by Rahul Riji Nair and is a Malyalam movie. The movie features the s social stigma that a married woman has to bear when her husband tried to exert himself on his wife physuically in a single room. 
'Nathicharami' whose director is Mansore brings into limelight topics such as sex and cravings. The story is spun around a female protagonist who gets trapped in such a circumstance. 
'Sivaranjani And Two Other Women' , a film of Vasanth S Sai, of Tamil tongue, is amovie that brings home the notions of &nbsp;micro-awakenings of identity, space and self-worth when family dynamics, early marriage and pregnancy threaten to usurp the individuality of three different women. The story happens across three different time-periods. The film is a tribute to their inner strength and courage against casual sexism and patriarchy.&nbsp; 
Aditya Vikram SENgupta's 'Jonaki' is another Bengali film that centers around an 80 year old woman , called 'Jonaki' who is still on a hunt for love in a world of faint memmories, where she has her lover whose hair have turned old and grey; returning to a world she is leaving behind. returning to a world she is leaving behind.

NIne films have been nominated for Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star. These films are a mix of varied Indian languages, powerful and bold themes and also deal with social issues that are sure to pinch contemporary viewers and force them to think about social stigma that exists in our stereotype society.

NIne films have been nominated for Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at Jio MAMI 20th Mumbai Film Festival with Star. These films are a mix of varied Indian languages, powerful and bold themes and also deal with social issues that are sure to pinch contemporary viewers and force them to think about social stigma that exists in our stereotype society. This year, filmmakers, producers, and artists are challenged by Oxfam to scratch their heads and ponder over notions that are presented in their pieces of craftsmanship in such a way that6 it breaks the monotony of portrayal of female and male characters in the movies. "Cinema Beyond Stereotypes'' is the theme for the award. In 2017, Rima Das' Assamese film 'Village Rockstars' won the Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award at MAMI and later bagged the National Award and is now India's official entry to the Oscars. The jury would include a trio- director Rima Das,National Award winning actor Parvathy and CEO of the Doha Film Institute Fatima Al Remaihi. The list includes films that touch almost all the social taboos that exist in our society i.e, from 'Imago', a Marathi film that revolves around an introvert teenage girl who falls the victim of leukoderma and the crises that she has to bear, 'Hamid' that portrays two sides of the Kashmir issue from the point of view of an 8 year old child and also a Kannada movie- 'Belakempa' that brings hoem a story about a young couple and childless parents . Moreover, the list also includes 'Jonaki' that paints a picture of an 80 year old lady, still in search of love . Well on the part bof the jury, making judgements has got a little tougher as the list also includes ‘Soni’ a Hindi film directed by Ivan Ayr; ‘Jaoon Kahan Bata Ae Dil’ directed by Aadish Keluskar; ‘Light In The Room’ (‘Ottamuri Velicham’) directed by Rahul Riji Nair; Kannada film ‘Nathicharami’ directed by Mansore and ‘Sivaranjani And Two Other Women’, a Tamil film directed by Vasanth S Sai. Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India said: “We are thrilled that this year the number of shortlisted films have increased from four films last year to nine. This is a reflection of the changing times then cinema industry worldwide. Stories that uphold a mirror to socio-political realities in India and that defy stereotypes of caste, class and gender are being made, accepted and appreciated. Women in films are making space to be heard both on and off-screen. The award is to appreciate, celebrate and support stories and people in the industry challenging the status quo. The shortlisted films are in different Indian languages--- Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali and each film has an arresting narrative. It gives us great joy that last year's winner 'Village Rockstars' is this year India’s entry for the Oscars." Fate of the winners and the artists will be decided by Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award 2018 at MAMI on November 1st, 2018, which also happens to be the night of closing ceremony of the festival. Synopsis of the films have been deliberately given as under: Imago, a Marathi film , directed by Karan Chavan and Vikram Patil portrays the story of Namrata , and introvert teenage girl residing in a small village who falls the victim of leucoderma or vitiligo, a skin disease. Weird, concerning, penetrating ‘normal’ eyesight has made her feel remoarseful and embarrassed for her own identity and and looks until a young and vibrant teacher joins her school. 'Hamid' is another film that is directed by Ajiaz Khan and is in Hindi. The story centers around an eight year old kid called Hamid who somehow comes to know that 786 is Almighty's contact number and thus tries to ring him frequently. He wishes to talk to his father who has gone to Allah , as told by his mother. Eventually, the call gets answered and years other f strife of two iundividuals come to an end. 'Balekempa' , another KLannada movie under the direction of Ere Gowda portrays the story of a couple - a bangle seller and his wife who cannot conceive a child. Thus, in a male dominbating society concealed desires and relationaships find a way to exist in harmony, that also lead the s audience to raise their eyebrows in suspense weather husband's secret would spill out. 'Soni' and 'Jaon Kahan Bata Ae Dil' are two other remarkable story lines that have been directed by Ivan Ayr and Aadish Keluskar respectively. 'Soni' revoleves around a girl from Delhi, a policewoman and her superintendent, and is tested to its limits when they suffer a major setback in their fight to curb the most serious social crisis of a generation. While 'Jaaon Kahan Bata Ae Dil' rests on relatioshships , their growth and detrioration, romance and reality go hand in hand. 'Light in the Rom' and 'Nathicharami' are other films that have been nominated by Oxfam. The former has been directed by Rahul Riji Nair and is a Malyalam movie. The movie features the s social stigma that a married woman has to bear when her husband tried to exert himself on his wife physuically in a single room. 'Nathicharami' whose director is Mansore brings into limelight topics such as sex and cravings. The story is spun around a female protagonist who gets trapped in such a circumstance. 'Sivaranjani And Two Other Women' , a film of Vasanth S Sai, of Tamil tongue, is amovie that brings home the notions of micro-awakenings of identity, space and self-worth when family dynamics, early marriage and pregnancy threaten to usurp the individuality of three different women. The story happens across three different time-periods. The film is a tribute to their inner strength and courage against casual sexism and patriarchy. Aditya Vikram SENgupta's 'Jonaki' is another Bengali film that centers around an 80 year old woman , called 'Jonaki' who is still on a hunt for love in a world of faint memmories, where she has her lover whose hair have turned old and grey; returning to a world she is leaving behind. returning to a world she is leaving behind.

Nine movies get shortlisted for Oxfam Best Film on Gender Equality Award

Today is International Women&rsquo;s Day again, a day that has been marked for more than a 100 years now, and has been important in reminding the world about women&rsquo;s struggles in their fight for equality and justice. &nbsp;Last year, this time, it seemed like a continuing, never-ending struggle. &nbsp;But this year something fundamental has shifted that seems to provide more hope than usual that we could actually be making some progress.

In recent months, there have been headlines as never before about the rampant abuse and harassment of women across the world and across sectors&mdash;in Hollywood and Bollywood, in academia, in business, and much closer to home, in the development sector. &nbsp;There has been an outpouring of cries from women who have been abused for too long and who have decided to come forth. &nbsp;It has shocked us all to know that we are not alone and has made us brave enough to speak up and finally break the silence that has surrounded this issue forever. When Facebook and other social media exploded with #MeToo, we looked at each other afresh, asking each other #YouToo?

In Oxfam, this day this year comes as a day of deep reflection for us. We were founded in 1942, in the middle of World War II, by a handful of people who felt that it was the duty and responsibility of every human being to help others in suffering. From that moment, Oxfam grew into one of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, responding to all the major disasters all over the world, restoring livelihoods, providing water and sanitation, and preventing epidemics by promoting public health and hygiene training. Oxfam has a long history in India since it is the first country that it came to, outside of Europe, at the time of the Bihar famine in 1951. &nbsp;Today, it is a network of 21 Oxfams with 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries. &nbsp;The humanitarian imperative&mdash;of helping others in distress&mdash;remains in our DNA and is core to who we are. But we have gone beyond humanitarian work to become a development organisation that works to empower poor and marginalised communities, and puts women&rsquo;s empowerment at the heart of what we do.

In India, we formed Oxfam India as an independent member of this global network in 2008. During the last 10 years, we have responded to 31 natural disasters and conflicts and have provided assistance to 12 lac beneficiaries directly. Literally, on the day we were founded in September 2008, the Kosi floods hit in Bihar and our team swung into action and we have never stopped since. In this effort to reach out to vulnerable people and help them rebuild their lives, we have been supported by the people of India who have given their time and money generously for these efforts.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
In recent weeks, Oxfam has been in the news because a few privileged men abused the very people they were meant to protect &ndash; and our processes were too weak to stop them. We have made mistakes in how we handled these cases. And we should have been more transparent in our communications with the authorities and with the public. &nbsp;We are learning that social expectations &ndash;due to movements such as #MeToo and others&mdash;have changed dramatically in the last eight years. What has once considered a benchmark for best practices is no longer adequate. Our supporters feel that their trust has been broken. We hope that our apologies &ndash; but far more importantly our deeds and the steps we are taking &ndash; will begin to restore people&rsquo;s trust in us. Our resolve is to make sure we never make the same mistakes again and that we strengthen safeguarding systems across the organisation to stamp out abuse.&nbsp;

A number of women in the aid and humanitarian sector have come together with an open letter condemning violence against women and girls perpetrated by aid workers. They are asking for three fundamental reforms to shift the patriarchal bias in aid:

Trust women: Organisations need to take action as soon as women report sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse; allegations must be treated with priority and urgency in their investigation; the subject of a complaint of this nature must be immediately suspended or removed from their position of power and reach of vulnerable women and girls.

Listen: Foster a culture where whistleblowing is welcome and safe - the way to win back the trust of donors, the public and the communities we work with is, to be honest about abuses of power and learn from disclosures. Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse should no longer have to be discussed in hushed tones in our offices.

Deeds not words: We need effective leadership, commitment to action and access to resources. It is not enough to develop new policies, which are never implemented or funded - with the right tools; we can end impunity at all levels in the sector.

This is the very least we all must commit to doing. On International Women&rsquo;s day in March 2019, we want to be able to look back with satisfaction at the progress we -- and the whole development sector--have made to honour our commitment to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;

In order to restore the trust, Oxfam affirms to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world.

Today is International Women’s Day again, a day that has been marked for more than a 100 years now, and has been important in reminding the world about women’s struggles in their fight for equality and justice. Last year, this time, it seemed like a continuing, never-ending struggle. But this year something fundamental has shifted that seems to provide more hope than usual that we could actually be making some progress. In recent months, there have been headlines as never before about the rampant abuse and harassment of women across the world and across sectors—in Hollywood and Bollywood, in academia, in business, and much closer to home, in the development sector. There has been an outpouring of cries from women who have been abused for too long and who have decided to come forth. It has shocked us all to know that we are not alone and has made us brave enough to speak up and finally break the silence that has surrounded this issue forever. When Facebook and other social media exploded with #MeToo, we looked at each other afresh, asking each other #YouToo? In Oxfam, this day this year comes as a day of deep reflection for us. We were founded in 1942, in the middle of World War II, by a handful of people who felt that it was the duty and responsibility of every human being to help others in suffering. From that moment, Oxfam grew into one of the largest humanitarian organisations in the world, responding to all the major disasters all over the world, restoring livelihoods, providing water and sanitation, and preventing epidemics by promoting public health and hygiene training. Oxfam has a long history in India since it is the first country that it came to, outside of Europe, at the time of the Bihar famine in 1951. Today, it is a network of 21 Oxfams with 10,000 staff working in more than 90 countries. The humanitarian imperative—of helping others in distress—remains in our DNA and is core to who we are. But we have gone beyond humanitarian work to become a development organisation that works to empower poor and marginalised communities, and puts women’s empowerment at the heart of what we do. In India, we formed Oxfam India as an independent member of this global network in 2008. During the last 10 years, we have responded to 31 natural disasters and conflicts and have provided assistance to 12 lac beneficiaries directly. Literally, on the day we were founded in September 2008, the Kosi floods hit in Bihar and our team swung into action and we have never stopped since. In this effort to reach out to vulnerable people and help them rebuild their lives, we have been supported by the people of India who have given their time and money generously for these efforts. In recent weeks, Oxfam has been in the news because a few privileged men abused the very people they were meant to protect – and our processes were too weak to stop them. We have made mistakes in how we handled these cases. And we should have been more transparent in our communications with the authorities and with the public. We are learning that social expectations –due to movements such as #MeToo and others—have changed dramatically in the last eight years. What has once considered a benchmark for best practices is no longer adequate. Our supporters feel that their trust has been broken. We hope that our apologies – but far more importantly our deeds and the steps we are taking – will begin to restore people’s trust in us. Our resolve is to make sure we never make the same mistakes again and that we strengthen safeguarding systems across the organisation to stamp out abuse. A number of women in the aid and humanitarian sector have come together with an open letter condemning violence against women and girls perpetrated by aid workers. They are asking for three fundamental reforms to shift the patriarchal bias in aid: Trust women: Organisations need to take action as soon as women report sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse; allegations must be treated with priority and urgency in their investigation; the subject of a complaint of this nature must be immediately suspended or removed from their position of power and reach of vulnerable women and girls. Listen: Foster a culture where whistleblowing is welcome and safe - the way to win back the trust of donors, the public and the communities we work with is, to be honest about abuses of power and learn from disclosures. Sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse should no longer have to be discussed in hushed tones in our offices. Deeds not words: We need effective leadership, commitment to action and access to resources. It is not enough to develop new policies, which are never implemented or funded - with the right tools; we can end impunity at all levels in the sector. This is the very least we all must commit to doing. On International Women’s day in March 2019, we want to be able to look back with satisfaction at the progress we -- and the whole development sector--have made to honour our commitment to support women in their struggles for a more equal and just world. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Oxfam vows to support women on International Women's day

Haiti on Thursday suspended the operations of British charity Oxfam pending the outcome of its investigation into allegations that its staff sexually exploited Haitians after a devastating 2010 earthquake. 
 
The country&#39;s ministry of planning and foreign aid said Oxfam GB had made a &quot;serious error&quot; by failing to inform Haitian authorities of the actions by their staff at the time they occurred. 
 
&quot;These reprehensible acts, alleged crimes, acknowledged by the perpetrators as well as the NGO, are a serious violation of the dignity of the Haitian people,&quot; a government statement said. 
 
It said the charity was suspended for two months pending an internal Haitian investigation into the matter. 
 
Aviol Fleurant, the minister for planning and foreign aid, said that if Haiti&#39;s own investigations found &quot;a link between the crimes committed and the money that Oxfam received to help the Haitian people I will see to it that the foreign ministry declares, in the name of the government, Oxfam-GB persona non-grata and will have to leave the country.&quot; 
 
&quot;Haiti is no longer an NGO republic,&quot; he said after meeting with Oxfam&#39;s director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Simon Ticehurst. &quot;We are not joking: the dignity of the Haitian people has no price.&quot;

An investigation conducted by Oxfam a year after the earthquake had found that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence. 
 
The 2011 report, disclosed on Monday, also found that three staff members had physically threatened a witness. 
 
One official has acknowledged paying for prostitutes and the others were accused of harassment and intimidation. 
 
A young Haitian woman told The Times newspaper she had had relations with the former Oxfam country director in Haiti, Roland Van Hauwermeiren, when she was 16 and he was 61. 
 
Van Hauwermeiren denied to Belgian media last week, however, that he had organized orgies with young prostitutes in Haiti, and said he had &quot;intimate relations&quot; with &quot;an honorable, mature woman&quot; whom he did not pay. 
 
Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit.

Greater scrutiny 
 
Oxfam formally apologized to the Haitian government on Monday for its handling of the scandal and for failing to report it promptly to local authorities. 
 
&quot;It was not for Oxfam to decide whether a crime had been committed... that was the wrong decision,&quot; Oxfam GB&#39;s chief executive Mark Goldring said Tuesday at a hearing before a British parliamentary committee. 
 
Fleurant, the planning minister, said he had not ruled out demanding the extradition of Van Hauwermeiren and others to face charges in Haiti. 
 
&quot;There could be an extradition: we could call for them to be brought back to Haiti,&quot; he said, adding that if that did not succeed &quot;we could bring a civil action, or help the victims do so.&quot; 
 
The strong line taken by the government was met with approval by Haitian human rights groups.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It&#39;s a good decision and it also sends the right message to other NGO&#39;s operating in the mess of Haiti,&quot; said Haitian lawyer Mario Joseph, while warning that such talk &quot;could be much ado about nothing if all the means to carry out an inquiry are not deployed to bring these people to justice.&quot;

The Haiti scandal has opened the charity to greater scrutiny, leading to 26 new cases of sexual misconduct, most involving its international operations.

Haiti's ministry of planning and foreign aid said Oxfam GB had made a "serious error" by failing to inform Haitian authorities of the actions by their staff at the time they occurred

Haiti on Thursday suspended the operations of British charity Oxfam pending the outcome of its investigation into allegations that its staff sexually exploited Haitians after a devastating 2010 earthquake. The country's ministry of planning and foreign aid said Oxfam GB had made a "serious error" by failing to inform Haitian authorities of the actions by their staff at the time they occurred. "These reprehensible acts, alleged crimes, acknowledged by the perpetrators as well as the NGO, are a serious violation of the dignity of the Haitian people," a government statement said. It said the charity was suspended for two months pending an internal Haitian investigation into the matter. Aviol Fleurant, the minister for planning and foreign aid, said that if Haiti's own investigations found "a link between the crimes committed and the money that Oxfam received to help the Haitian people I will see to it that the foreign ministry declares, in the name of the government, Oxfam-GB persona non-grata and will have to leave the country." "Haiti is no longer an NGO republic," he said after meeting with Oxfam's director for Latin America and the Caribbean, Simon Ticehurst. "We are not joking: the dignity of the Haitian people has no price." An investigation conducted by Oxfam a year after the earthquake had found that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence. The 2011 report, disclosed on Monday, also found that three staff members had physically threatened a witness. One official has acknowledged paying for prostitutes and the others were accused of harassment and intimidation. A young Haitian woman told The Times newspaper she had had relations with the former Oxfam country director in Haiti, Roland Van Hauwermeiren, when she was 16 and he was 61. Van Hauwermeiren denied to Belgian media last week, however, that he had organized orgies with young prostitutes in Haiti, and said he had "intimate relations" with "an honorable, mature woman" whom he did not pay. Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit. Greater scrutiny Oxfam formally apologized to the Haitian government on Monday for its handling of the scandal and for failing to report it promptly to local authorities. "It was not for Oxfam to decide whether a crime had been committed... that was the wrong decision," Oxfam GB's chief executive Mark Goldring said Tuesday at a hearing before a British parliamentary committee. Fleurant, the planning minister, said he had not ruled out demanding the extradition of Van Hauwermeiren and others to face charges in Haiti. "There could be an extradition: we could call for them to be brought back to Haiti," he said, adding that if that did not succeed "we could bring a civil action, or help the victims do so." The strong line taken by the government was met with approval by Haitian human rights groups. "It's a good decision and it also sends the right message to other NGO's operating in the mess of Haiti," said Haitian lawyer Mario Joseph, while warning that such talk "could be much ado about nothing if all the means to carry out an inquiry are not deployed to bring these people to justice." The Haiti scandal has opened the charity to greater scrutiny, leading to 26 new cases of sexual misconduct, most involving its international operations.

Haiti suspends Oxfam operations pending investigation into sexual abuse

Oxfam, one of the UK&rsquo;s largest and best known charities, is currently entangled in a scandal following revelations that senior staff members engaged in sexual misconduct during the 2010 Haiti earthquake recovery effort and had hired prostitutes while working in Chad in 2006. The report revealed that aid workers held sex parties, turning a villa rented by Oxfam into a makeshift brothel, with senior officers allegedly attempting to cover up the behavior.

Roland van Hauwermeiren, the man at the heart of the scandal, was head of operations in both Chad and then Haiti, resigning from that last position in 2011 following an internal investigation by Oxfam. Since the story broke, four staff members have been fired, and three others have resigned, including Oxfam&rsquo;s deputy chief executive, Penny Lawrence, who was the organisation&rsquo;s program director at the time of the Haiti earthquake.

While alarming that Oxfam, or any NGO for that matter, would cover up such distressing acts, what is of equal concern is that van Hauwermeiren, who admitted to the claims of his involvement in the Haiti scandal while disputing the exact allegations against him, had, in 2004, left his position with the Merlin charity in Liberia amid reports of using prostitutes. The question of why he was allowed to pursue another job working with vulnerable populations is confounding: How did an aid worker whose career objective is to provide support for people living in poverty get the opportunity to exploit them on more than one occasion? The answer lies within the broken system of the global aid industry and leads to questions of who is monitoring the charities that the public tends to perceive as moral leaders.

NGOs are built around public trust. It is vital to their missions to prove they are using donated funds appropriately, reporting to charity watchdogs annually and showing full transparency in their financial statements. But it seems as though those same standards may not be required when it comes to employees&rsquo; conduct while on the job. Oxfam aid workers not only took advantage of their positions of power while working in Haiti, but their abhorrent actions have not been met by any punitive measures. In its most basic, they got away with exploiting the same people they set out to help.

Haiti and its people have faced exploitation for hundreds of years. Once one of the richest nations under French rule, France refused to recognize the nation&rsquo;s independence following the Haitian Revolution of 1804. It finally did so in 1825, and then only under the condition that the Haitian government agrees to pay compensation in the amount of roughly 150 million golden francs &mdash; 10 times Haiti&rsquo;s annual revenue then, or about $17 billion in today&rsquo;s money &mdash; to French landowners for the loss of plantations and slaves.

At the same time, the United States government placed an embargo against the island, refusing to acknowledge the newly independent nation, even though up until that point the US had been selling more goods to Haiti than any other country in Latin America. In 1915, fearful that a politically unstable Haiti would not be able to repay its debts, the US occupied the island, remaining for 20 years.&nbsp;

In the 1950s, Haiti came under the dictatorial rule of by Fran&ccedil;ois &ldquo;Papa Doc&rdquo; Duvalier, whose son, Jean-Claude, would remain in power until 1986. By this point the country had been be plagued by decades of political corruption, its land stripped of natural resources and tens of thousands of citizens thought to oppose the government had been killed. By the time the January 2010 earthquake hit, Haiti was already relying heavily on foreign aid, which accounted for 30-40% of its government&rsquo;s budget.

Haitians aren&rsquo;t the only ones being exploited by foreign aid workers, and Oxfam is not the only organisation that has confirmed that staff members have engaged in sexual misconduct in recent years either. Save the Children, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and the UN have all published reports of both inappropriate and criminal sexual behavior by staff.

More than ever, now is the time to change how the global aid system is monitored and how inappropriate behavior is handled. If something is not done now, beyond being a public-relations nightmare, Oxfam and other big NGOs are at risk of losing out on funding. With something this explosive, everyone loses. Stories such as these reinforce negative stereotypes of the countries where the disgraceful behavior took place, it harms individuals who were taken advantage of and it shakes the public&rsquo;s faith in the non-profit sector.

Scandals such as these do more than just give a few NGOs a bad reputation: They put a mark on all of them. The big players at the top have the means to bounce back from bad publicity, but smaller charities don&rsquo;t have that luxury. If faith in aid organisations as a whole is undermined, and enough supporters back away from a cause, then smaller charities risk folding completely. If there aren&rsquo;t changes in accountability within the global aid system, in the end those of us who work to deliver humanitarian assistance with ethical and moral standards risk losing our ability to do so, which only hurts those we set out to help in the first place.

this <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/region/latin_america/oxfam-haiti-chad-sex-scandal-news-headlines-41321/">article</a> has been origivally publihsed in the <a href="https://www.fairobserver.com/" rel="nofollow" target="blank">Fair Observer</a>.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Faith in aid organisations is undermined ever since Oxfam, one of the UK’s largest and best-known charities, has been trolled for the sex scandal.

Oxfam, one of the UK’s largest and best known charities, is currently entangled in a scandal following revelations that senior staff members engaged in sexual misconduct during the 2010 Haiti earthquake recovery effort and had hired prostitutes while working in Chad in 2006. The report revealed that aid workers held sex parties, turning a villa rented by Oxfam into a makeshift brothel, with senior officers allegedly attempting to cover up the behavior. Roland van Hauwermeiren, the man at the heart of the scandal, was head of operations in both Chad and then Haiti, resigning from that last position in 2011 following an internal investigation by Oxfam. Since the story broke, four staff members have been fired, and three others have resigned, including Oxfam’s deputy chief executive, Penny Lawrence, who was the organisation’s program director at the time of the Haiti earthquake. While alarming that Oxfam, or any NGO for that matter, would cover up such distressing acts, what is of equal concern is that van Hauwermeiren, who admitted to the claims of his involvement in the Haiti scandal while disputing the exact allegations against him, had, in 2004, left his position with the Merlin charity in Liberia amid reports of using prostitutes. The question of why he was allowed to pursue another job working with vulnerable populations is confounding: How did an aid worker whose career objective is to provide support for people living in poverty get the opportunity to exploit them on more than one occasion? The answer lies within the broken system of the global aid industry and leads to questions of who is monitoring the charities that the public tends to perceive as moral leaders. NGOs are built around public trust. It is vital to their missions to prove they are using donated funds appropriately, reporting to charity watchdogs annually and showing full transparency in their financial statements. But it seems as though those same standards may not be required when it comes to employees’ conduct while on the job. Oxfam aid workers not only took advantage of their positions of power while working in Haiti, but their abhorrent actions have not been met by any punitive measures. In its most basic, they got away with exploiting the same people they set out to help. Haiti and its people have faced exploitation for hundreds of years. Once one of the richest nations under French rule, France refused to recognize the nation’s independence following the Haitian Revolution of 1804. It finally did so in 1825, and then only under the condition that the Haitian government agrees to pay compensation in the amount of roughly 150 million golden francs — 10 times Haiti’s annual revenue then, or about $17 billion in today’s money — to French landowners for the loss of plantations and slaves. At the same time, the United States government placed an embargo against the island, refusing to acknowledge the newly independent nation, even though up until that point the US had been selling more goods to Haiti than any other country in Latin America. In 1915, fearful that a politically unstable Haiti would not be able to repay its debts, the US occupied the island, remaining for 20 years. In the 1950s, Haiti came under the dictatorial rule of by François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, whose son, Jean-Claude, would remain in power until 1986. By this point the country had been be plagued by decades of political corruption, its land stripped of natural resources and tens of thousands of citizens thought to oppose the government had been killed. By the time the January 2010 earthquake hit, Haiti was already relying heavily on foreign aid, which accounted for 30-40% of its government’s budget. Haitians aren’t the only ones being exploited by foreign aid workers, and Oxfam is not the only organisation that has confirmed that staff members have engaged in sexual misconduct in recent years either. Save the Children, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid and the UN have all published reports of both inappropriate and criminal sexual behavior by staff. More than ever, now is the time to change how the global aid system is monitored and how inappropriate behavior is handled. If something is not done now, beyond being a public-relations nightmare, Oxfam and other big NGOs are at risk of losing out on funding. With something this explosive, everyone loses. Stories such as these reinforce negative stereotypes of the countries where the disgraceful behavior took place, it harms individuals who were taken advantage of and it shakes the public’s faith in the non-profit sector. Scandals such as these do more than just give a few NGOs a bad reputation: They put a mark on all of them. The big players at the top have the means to bounce back from bad publicity, but smaller charities don’t have that luxury. If faith in aid organisations as a whole is undermined, and enough supporters back away from a cause, then smaller charities risk folding completely. If there aren’t changes in accountability within the global aid system, in the end those of us who work to deliver humanitarian assistance with ethical and moral standards risk losing our ability to do so, which only hurts those we set out to help in the first place. this article has been origivally publihsed in the Fair Observer. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Who is monitoring Oxfam, the organisation that the public perceives as a moral leader?

Oxfam said today it was investigating 26 new cases of sexual misconduct which had been reported since a scandal broke earlier this month over its handling of a 2011 case in Haiti.

The British charity&#39;s chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation.

&quot;There are 26 cases that have come forward... They range in the time frame from more recent events to long historic events where people did not report them at the time,&quot; Goldring said.

&quot;We really want people to come forward,&quot; he added.

Goldring apologised &quot;wholeheartedly&quot; on behalf of Oxfam to the committee, which said it would conduct its own inquiry into abuses in the foreign aid sector.

The chief executive said safeguards had been put in place following an internal investigation in 2011 into the behaviour of some Oxfam staff in Haiti but admitted that the charity had not gone far enough.

Last week, Oxfam unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, including creating a new vetting system for staff.

The charity formally apologised to Haiti yesterday over the prostitution scandal rocking the aid charity. It expressed its &quot;shame&quot; and vowed to do better as it handed over a damning internal report into the allegations.

Made public earlier in the day, Oxfam&#39;s 2011 report into the behaviour of aid workers sent to Haiti revealed that three staff had physically threatened a witness in the prostitution investigation.

Oxfam&#39;s 2011 report, compiled in the year after aid workers were deployed to Haiti, revealed that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence.

Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including then country director Roland Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit.

 
&nbsp;

The British charity's chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation

Oxfam said today it was investigating 26 new cases of sexual misconduct which had been reported since a scandal broke earlier this month over its handling of a 2011 case in Haiti. The British charity's chief executive Mark Goldring told a parliamentary committee in London that 16 of the cases related to its international operation. "There are 26 cases that have come forward... They range in the time frame from more recent events to long historic events where people did not report them at the time," Goldring said. "We really want people to come forward," he added. Goldring apologised "wholeheartedly" on behalf of Oxfam to the committee, which said it would conduct its own inquiry into abuses in the foreign aid sector. The chief executive said safeguards had been put in place following an internal investigation in 2011 into the behaviour of some Oxfam staff in Haiti but admitted that the charity had not gone far enough. Last week, Oxfam unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, including creating a new vetting system for staff. The charity formally apologised to Haiti yesterday over the prostitution scandal rocking the aid charity. It expressed its "shame" and vowed to do better as it handed over a damning internal report into the allegations. Made public earlier in the day, Oxfam's 2011 report into the behaviour of aid workers sent to Haiti revealed that three staff had physically threatened a witness in the prostitution investigation. Oxfam's 2011 report, compiled in the year after aid workers were deployed to Haiti, revealed that seven staff were accused of using prostitutes at an Oxfam-funded residence. Four staff were fired for gross misconduct and three others, including then country director Roland Van Hauwermeiren, were allowed to quit.

Oxfam probing 26 new cases of sexual misconduct: Chief

The former Oxfam official at the centre of a prostitution scandal admitted to paying for sex at his charity-funded residence during an internal inquiry into the allegations, a report released Monday by the British organisation said.

The report also said three Oxfam employees physically threatened a witness in the investigation into alleged sexual misconduct in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake there.

The charity fired four staff members for gross misconduct and allowed three others, including former country director Roland van Hauwermeiren, to resign over allegations they hired young sex workers.

The 68-year-old Belgian has denied organising orgies or visiting brothels on the Caribbean island, saying he told Oxfam he had engaged in &quot;intimate relations some three times&quot; at his home but did not pay for these liaisons.

A redacted copy of the 2011 report made public by the charity said Van Hauwermeiren offered to resign after admitting to investigators that he had hired sex workers at Oxfam-funded accommodation.

&quot;During the interview the CD admitted to using prostitutes in his OGB (Oxfam Great Britain) residence,&quot; the report said.

During the inquiry, three employees also allegedly threatened a colleague who had been interviewed by investigators after witness details were leaked.

&quot;This incident resulted in three of the suspects... physically threatening and intimidating one of the witnesses who had been referred to in the report,&quot; it said.

Details of action taken against the suspects included dismissal for &quot;bullying and intimidation of OGB staff&quot; and misuse of Oxfam computing equipment &quot;through the access and download of pornographic and illegal material&quot;.

- &#39;Dignified exit&#39; -

Oxfam has unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, and agreed not to bid for any more state funds until reforms were in place.

It has faced accusations it was not transparent about the scandal, which has led to the resignation of its deputy head and high-profile ambassadors such as Desmond Tutu.

The report said the charity negotiated a month&#39;s notice period with Van Hauwermeiren and agreed to allow him &quot;a phased and dignified exit&quot; if he cooperated with the rest of the investigation.

His dismissal could lead to &quot;potentially serious implications for the programme, affiliate relationships and the rest of the investigation&quot;, it said.

The report said Oxfam officials had received an email in July that year alerting them to alleged sexual exploitation, fraud, negligence and nepotism during relief efforts.

It concluded that the inquiry found no substantial evidence of fraud, nepotism or hiring underage sex workers, &quot;although it cannot be ruled out that any of the prostitutes were underage&quot;.

The charity said it had released the report &quot;to be as transparent as possible about the decisions made during the investigation and in recognition of the breach of trust that has been caused&quot;.

Van Hauwermeiren said in a letter published by Belgian media last week that he had not visited any brothels, nightclubs or bars in Haiti.

&quot;There were numerous men and women who tried to get into my house with all sorts of excuses to demand money, work, or to offer sexual services. But I never gave into these advances,&quot; he wrote.

In the letter he said he told Oxfam he had sexual relations with an &quot;honourable, mature woman&quot; and did not give her any money, but added he was however &quot;deeply ashamed&quot; of the incident.

Oxfam said it had passed the names of the seven men accused of sexual misconduct to relevant authorities and has shared an unredacted version of the report with the Haitian ambassador in London.

It added it would give a copy of the report to the Haitian government, which has said it would open a probe into the scandal, in a meeting planned for Monday morning.

Reportedly, three Oxfam employees physically threatened a witness in the investigation

The former Oxfam official at the centre of a prostitution scandal admitted to paying for sex at his charity-funded residence during an internal inquiry into the allegations, a report released Monday by the British organisation said. The report also said three Oxfam employees physically threatened a witness in the investigation into alleged sexual misconduct in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake there. The charity fired four staff members for gross misconduct and allowed three others, including former country director Roland van Hauwermeiren, to resign over allegations they hired young sex workers. The 68-year-old Belgian has denied organising orgies or visiting brothels on the Caribbean island, saying he told Oxfam he had engaged in "intimate relations some three times" at his home but did not pay for these liaisons. A redacted copy of the 2011 report made public by the charity said Van Hauwermeiren offered to resign after admitting to investigators that he had hired sex workers at Oxfam-funded accommodation. "During the interview the CD admitted to using prostitutes in his OGB (Oxfam Great Britain) residence," the report said. During the inquiry, three employees also allegedly threatened a colleague who had been interviewed by investigators after witness details were leaked. "This incident resulted in three of the suspects... physically threatening and intimidating one of the witnesses who had been referred to in the report," it said. Details of action taken against the suspects included dismissal for "bullying and intimidation of OGB staff" and misuse of Oxfam computing equipment "through the access and download of pornographic and illegal material". - 'Dignified exit' - Oxfam has unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual harassment and abuse, and agreed not to bid for any more state funds until reforms were in place. It has faced accusations it was not transparent about the scandal, which has led to the resignation of its deputy head and high-profile ambassadors such as Desmond Tutu. The report said the charity negotiated a month's notice period with Van Hauwermeiren and agreed to allow him "a phased and dignified exit" if he cooperated with the rest of the investigation. His dismissal could lead to "potentially serious implications for the programme, affiliate relationships and the rest of the investigation", it said. The report said Oxfam officials had received an email in July that year alerting them to alleged sexual exploitation, fraud, negligence and nepotism during relief efforts. It concluded that the inquiry found no substantial evidence of fraud, nepotism or hiring underage sex workers, "although it cannot be ruled out that any of the prostitutes were underage". The charity said it had released the report "to be as transparent as possible about the decisions made during the investigation and in recognition of the breach of trust that has been caused". Van Hauwermeiren said in a letter published by Belgian media last week that he had not visited any brothels, nightclubs or bars in Haiti. "There were numerous men and women who tried to get into my house with all sorts of excuses to demand money, work, or to offer sexual services. But I never gave into these advances," he wrote. In the letter he said he told Oxfam he had sexual relations with an "honourable, mature woman" and did not give her any money, but added he was however "deeply ashamed" of the incident. Oxfam said it had passed the names of the seven men accused of sexual misconduct to relevant authorities and has shared an unredacted version of the report with the Haitian ambassador in London. It added it would give a copy of the report to the Haitian government, which has said it would open a probe into the scandal, in a meeting planned for Monday morning.

Oxfam says former Haiti director admitted hiring sex workers

Oxfam&#39;s chief executive said criticism of the charity following a sex abuse scandal had been disproportionate, according to comments published on Saturday.

In an interview with British daily the Guardian, Mark Goldring again apologised over allegations of sexual abuse by Oxfam staff in Haiti, which broke last week and have shaken the whole aid sector.

&quot;(But) the intensity and ferocity of the attacks make you wonder, what did we do? We murdered babies in their cots?,&quot; he was quoted as saying.

&quot;Certainly the scale and intensity of the attacks feel out of proportion to the level of culpability.&quot;

UK-based Oxfam, one of the world&#39;s biggest disaster relief charities, has neither confirmed nor denied the Haiti allegations but has said an internal investigation in 2011 confirmed unspecified sexual misconduct occurred.

It has also agreed not to bid for any new state funding until Britain&#39;s government is satisfied the charity meets appropriate ethical standards, development minister Penny Mordaunt said on Friday.

&quot;Anything we say is being manipulated... We&#39;ve been savaged,&quot; Goldring also told the Guardian, which ran a full-page ad from the charity saying sorry for the &quot;appalling behaviour that happened in our name&quot;.

The CEO&#39;s comments drew rebukes on Twitter, including from former interior minister Jacqui Smith, who posted: &quot;Dear Mark Goldring. You&#39;re not the victim here.&quot;

Haiti&#39;s president told Reuters on Friday that sexual misconduct by Oxfam staff was only the tip of an &quot;iceberg&quot; and called for investigations into Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and other aid organisations that came to the country after a devastating earthquake in 2010.

Doctors Without Borders said on Wednesday it had dealt with 24 cases of sexual harassment or abuse among its 40,000 staff last year, and dismissed 19 people as a result.

Britain has said it will deny cash to aid organisations that fail to come clean on abuse.

But Prime Minister Theresa May said it would continue to meet its legal obligation to spend 0.7 percent of economic output on international development.

She made the comment in a speech in Munich on Saturday, in which did not directly address the allegations against Oxfam and other charities.

The CEO's comments drew rebukes on Twitter, including from former interior minister Jacqui Smith, who posted: "Dear Mark Goldring. You're not the victim here."

Oxfam's chief executive said criticism of the charity following a sex abuse scandal had been disproportionate, according to comments published on Saturday. In an interview with British daily the Guardian, Mark Goldring again apologised over allegations of sexual abuse by Oxfam staff in Haiti, which broke last week and have shaken the whole aid sector. "(But) the intensity and ferocity of the attacks make you wonder, what did we do? We murdered babies in their cots?," he was quoted as saying. "Certainly the scale and intensity of the attacks feel out of proportion to the level of culpability." UK-based Oxfam, one of the world's biggest disaster relief charities, has neither confirmed nor denied the Haiti allegations but has said an internal investigation in 2011 confirmed unspecified sexual misconduct occurred. It has also agreed not to bid for any new state funding until Britain's government is satisfied the charity meets appropriate ethical standards, development minister Penny Mordaunt said on Friday. "Anything we say is being manipulated... We've been savaged," Goldring also told the Guardian, which ran a full-page ad from the charity saying sorry for the "appalling behaviour that happened in our name". The CEO's comments drew rebukes on Twitter, including from former interior minister Jacqui Smith, who posted: "Dear Mark Goldring. You're not the victim here." Haiti's president told Reuters on Friday that sexual misconduct by Oxfam staff was only the tip of an "iceberg" and called for investigations into Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) and other aid organisations that came to the country after a devastating earthquake in 2010. Doctors Without Borders said on Wednesday it had dealt with 24 cases of sexual harassment or abuse among its 40,000 staff last year, and dismissed 19 people as a result. Britain has said it will deny cash to aid organisations that fail to come clean on abuse. But Prime Minister Theresa May said it would continue to meet its legal obligation to spend 0.7 percent of economic output on international development. She made the comment in a speech in Munich on Saturday, in which did not directly address the allegations against Oxfam and other charities.

Oxfam sex abuse criticism disproportionate, chief executive says

Oxfam&#39;s deputy chief executive has resigned over the prostitution scandal engulfing the charity.

Announcing her decision, Penny Lawrence said she took &quot;full responsibility&quot; for the behaviour of the charity&#39;s staff in Chad and Haiti &quot;that we failed to adequately act upon&quot;.

This is the first resignation from the charity after days of bad headlines about its staff using prostitutes, some of whom may have been underage while working in the country after the devastating 2010 earthquake.

&ldquo;Over the last few days we have become aware that concerns were raised about the behaviour of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon,&quot; Lawrence added.

Penny Lawrence said she took 'full responsibility' for the behaviour of staff in Chad and Haiti

Oxfam's deputy chief executive has resigned over the prostitution scandal engulfing the charity. Announcing her decision, Penny Lawrence said she took "full responsibility" for the behaviour of the charity's staff in Chad and Haiti "that we failed to adequately act upon". This is the first resignation from the charity after days of bad headlines about its staff using prostitutes, some of whom may have been underage while working in the country after the devastating 2010 earthquake. “Over the last few days we have become aware that concerns were raised about the behaviour of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon," Lawrence added.

Oxfam deputy head resigns over prostitution scandal

Just eight individuals, all men, own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world&#39;s population, Oxfam said in a report calling for action to curtail rewards for those at the top.

As decision-makers and super-rich gather for this week&#39;s World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, the charity&#39;s report suggests the wealth gap is wider than ever, with new data for China and India indicating that the poorest half of the world owns less than previously estimated.

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<h5>The eight individuals named in the report are Bill Gates, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, veteran investor Warren Buffett, Mexico&#39;s Carlos Slim, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Facebook&#39;s Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle&#39;s Larry Ellison and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg</h5>
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Oxfam, which described the gap as &quot;obscene&quot;, said if the new data had been available before, it would have shown that in 2016 nine people owned the same as the 3.6 billion who make up the poorest half of humanity, rather than 62 estimated at the time.&nbsp;In 2010, by comparison, it took the combined assets of the 43 richest people to equal the wealth of the poorest 50 per cent, according to latest calculations.

Inequality has moved up the agenda in recent years, with the head of the International Monetary Fund and the Pope among those warning of its corrosive effects, while resentment of elites has helped fuel an upsurge in populist politics.Concern about the issue was highlighted again in the WEF&#39;s own global risks report last week.

&quot;We see a lot of hand-wringing - and clearly Trump&#39;s victory and Brexit gives that new impetus this year - but there is a lack of concrete alternatives to business as usual,&quot; said Max Lawson, Oxfam&#39;s head of policy.

&quot;There are different ways of running capitalism that could be much, much more beneficial to the majority of people.&quot;

Oxfam called in its report for a crackdown on tax dodging and a shift away from &quot;super-charged&quot; shareholder capitalism that pays out disproportionately to the rich.&nbsp;While many workers struggle with stagnating incomes, the wealth of the super-rich has increased by an average of 11 per cent a year since 2009.

Bill Gates, the world&#39;s richest man who is a regular at Davos, has seen his fortune rise by 50 per cent or $25 billion since announcing plans to leave Microsoft in 2006, despite his efforts to give much of it away.&nbsp;While Gates exemplifies how outsized wealth can be recycled to help the poor, Oxfam believes such &quot;big philanthropy&quot; does not address the fundamental problem.

&quot;If billionaires choose to give their money away then that is a good thing. But inequality matters and you cannot have a system where billionaires are systematically paying lower rates of tax than their secretary or cleaner,&quot; Lawson said.

Oxfam bases its calculations on data from Swiss bank Credit Suisse and Forbes. The eight individuals named in the report are Gates, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, veteran investor Warren Buffett, Mexico&#39;s Carlos Slim, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Facebook&#39;s Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle&#39;s Larry Ellison and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

(Reuters) 
&nbsp;

Oxfam, in its report, called the gap 'obscene', said the divide between the rich and the poor is wider than ever

Just eight individuals, all men, own as much wealth as the poorest half of the world's population, Oxfam said in a report calling for action to curtail rewards for those at the top. As decision-makers and super-rich gather for this week's World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, the charity's report suggests the wealth gap is wider than ever, with new data for China and India indicating that the poorest half of the world owns less than previously estimated. The eight individuals named in the report are Bill Gates, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, veteran investor Warren Buffett, Mexico's Carlos Slim, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg × Oxfam, which described the gap as "obscene", said if the new data had been available before, it would have shown that in 2016 nine people owned the same as the 3.6 billion who make up the poorest half of humanity, rather than 62 estimated at the time. In 2010, by comparison, it took the combined assets of the 43 richest people to equal the wealth of the poorest 50 per cent, according to latest calculations. Inequality has moved up the agenda in recent years, with the head of the International Monetary Fund and the Pope among those warning of its corrosive effects, while resentment of elites has helped fuel an upsurge in populist politics.Concern about the issue was highlighted again in the WEF's own global risks report last week. "We see a lot of hand-wringing - and clearly Trump's victory and Brexit gives that new impetus this year - but there is a lack of concrete alternatives to business as usual," said Max Lawson, Oxfam's head of policy. "There are different ways of running capitalism that could be much, much more beneficial to the majority of people." Oxfam called in its report for a crackdown on tax dodging and a shift away from "super-charged" shareholder capitalism that pays out disproportionately to the rich. While many workers struggle with stagnating incomes, the wealth of the super-rich has increased by an average of 11 per cent a year since 2009. Bill Gates, the world's richest man who is a regular at Davos, has seen his fortune rise by 50 per cent or $25 billion since announcing plans to leave Microsoft in 2006, despite his efforts to give much of it away. While Gates exemplifies how outsized wealth can be recycled to help the poor, Oxfam believes such "big philanthropy" does not address the fundamental problem. "If billionaires choose to give their money away then that is a good thing. But inequality matters and you cannot have a system where billionaires are systematically paying lower rates of tax than their secretary or cleaner," Lawson said. Oxfam bases its calculations on data from Swiss bank Credit Suisse and Forbes. The eight individuals named in the report are Gates, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, veteran investor Warren Buffett, Mexico's Carlos Slim, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. (Reuters)

Eight men own half the world's wealth: Oxfam

Tech giant Facebook has come up with a new feature that can help nonprofits and charity organisations to raise money for the causes they care about, the company said. 
 
Several months after the social network launched a new &quot;fundraiser&quot; feature for nonprofits to collect donations, Facebook announced it has expanded the tool to individual users. 
 
The tool is now available to 1 per cent of US users, standard for new Facebook products in order to gather feedback and make sure there are not any bugs. But it will roll out to all US users in the coming weeks. 
 
The new fundraisers are the latest feature from Facebook&#39;s Social Good team, which officially launched in September 2015 and is the force behind tools like &#39;Safety Check&#39; and &#39;Amber Alerts&#39;. 
 
Focusing on products aimed at crisis response and charitable giving, the team now hopes to break down barriers and empower people to use the tools it is building. 
 
&quot;We had Facebook fundraising for nonprofits with International Medical Corps in Nepal and then last year... nonprofits could fundraise for themselves,&quot; Naomi Gleit, Vice President of product management for social good at Facebook, said in a statement. 
 
&quot;But the real vision has always been people fundraising for nonprofits,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
The inspiration for the tool came from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral in 2014. Facebook saw people raising money and awareness, but the ALS Association told Facebook that it couldn&#39;t handle the volume of traffic to its website, nor could it accept international currencies. 
 
US users create fundraisers, people around the world donate&nbsp; 
 
Now, users will be able to donate directly through Facebook or start their own campaigns. 
 
Any US-based nonprofit that holds a 501(c)3 status, has a verified Facebook page and agrees to the Facebook Pages Terms can sign up for the programme. 
 
As part of the initial rollout on Thursday, fundraiser creators can choose from nearly 100 charities, such as the Nature Conservancy, Alzheimer&#39;s Association and Oxfam. 
 
&quot;Before we actually disburse funds to them, depending on how much money it is, we will do some more quality control,&quot; Gleit said about the nonprofits overall. 
 
&quot;We just want to make sure there&#39;s no fraud, so there&#39;s an additional layer of vetting,&quot; Gleit added. 
 
While only US users can create fundraisers, people around the world can donate.&nbsp; 
 
(PTI) 
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Any US-based nonprofit that holds a 501(c)3 status, has verified Facebook page and agrees to Facebook Pages Terms can sign up for programme

Tech giant Facebook has come up with a new feature that can help nonprofits and charity organisations to raise money for the causes they care about, the company said. Several months after the social network launched a new "fundraiser" feature for nonprofits to collect donations, Facebook announced it has expanded the tool to individual users. The tool is now available to 1 per cent of US users, standard for new Facebook products in order to gather feedback and make sure there are not any bugs. But it will roll out to all US users in the coming weeks. The new fundraisers are the latest feature from Facebook's Social Good team, which officially launched in September 2015 and is the force behind tools like 'Safety Check' and 'Amber Alerts'. Focusing on products aimed at crisis response and charitable giving, the team now hopes to break down barriers and empower people to use the tools it is building. "We had Facebook fundraising for nonprofits with International Medical Corps in Nepal and then last year... nonprofits could fundraise for themselves," Naomi Gleit, Vice President of product management for social good at Facebook, said in a statement. "But the real vision has always been people fundraising for nonprofits," he said. The inspiration for the tool came from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which went viral in 2014. Facebook saw people raising money and awareness, but the ALS Association told Facebook that it couldn't handle the volume of traffic to its website, nor could it accept international currencies. US users create fundraisers, people around the world donate Now, users will be able to donate directly through Facebook or start their own campaigns. Any US-based nonprofit that holds a 501(c)3 status, has a verified Facebook page and agrees to the Facebook Pages Terms can sign up for the programme. As part of the initial rollout on Thursday, fundraiser creators can choose from nearly 100 charities, such as the Nature Conservancy, Alzheimer's Association and Oxfam. "Before we actually disburse funds to them, depending on how much money it is, we will do some more quality control," Gleit said about the nonprofits overall. "We just want to make sure there's no fraud, so there's an additional layer of vetting," Gleit added. While only US users can create fundraisers, people around the world can donate. (PTI)

Facebook's new feature to allow charities to raise money online

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