"Companies really engage with you, they want to work with Partners whom they can really trust right? Whom they can really rely on and I think that's the relationship that we want to build up," says Suryadeep Verma, Senior VP & CMO, Comviva to Jasper Reid.

Comviva's Senior VP & CMO, Suryadeep Verma speaks to WION

We've taken online quizzes to 'evaluate' our personalities, at least once in our online lives. We've liked some results while laughed off others. Whatever may be the degree of accuracy of these results, we always give off some vibes others sense to make an opinion based on. And in post-pandemic world, not only our actual persona but even the background during a video call matters.

Can there be some backgrounds that make us look trustworthy? Are there any that make us appear less so? Researchers at Durham University's psychology department looked into this.

The study, reported by The Guardian involved some images that were shown to 160 people. They were then asked about their opinions. These 72 images were of 18 caucasian men and 18 caucasian women. In the images, they were either smiling or had a neutral expression. The face were then superimposed on six different backgrounds. These were: a living room, a blurred living room, a bookcase, house plants on a cupboard, a blank wall and a walrus in front of an iceberg. A finishing touch was then given to make these images look like those during a Zoom call.

“In a world where Covid has turned a lot of first impressions online, in making a first impression, you no longer just have to think about how you look, you also have to think about how your background looks," said Paddy Ross, an associate professor at Durham University as quoted by The Guardian.

“What we wanted to know was: do I look more trustworthy or competent if, for instance, I was in front of some plants, or a bookcase, or my living room, or maybe I have a messy living room and I want to blur it, or just a blank wall or a novelty background?”

The study found that if you had a bookcase behind you or plant, there was a higher chance that the person on the other end of the video call would deem you trustworthy and competent. With Walrus in the background? Prospects didn't seem as bright.

“Will a background really make you look less trustworthy than someone else who uses a different background? If you can sit in front of a bookcase or some house plants we found those to be the best for ratings of trust and competence in the person. Try to avoid having a novelty background or your living space behind you. We found those to be the worst for ratings of trust and confidence. Blurred backgrounds are OK but if you can show plants or bookcases that’s the best for first impressions for trust and competence.”

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We've taken online quizzes to 'evaluate' our personalities, at least once in our online lives. We've liked some results while laughed off others. Whatever may be the degree of accuracy of these results, we always give off some vibes others sense to make an opinion based on.

We've taken online quizzes to 'evaluate' our personalities, at least once in our online lives. We've liked some results while laughed off others. Whatever may be the degree of accuracy of these results, we always give off some vibes others sense to make an opinion based on. And in post-pandemic world, not only our actual persona but even the background during a video call matters. Can there be some backgrounds that make us look trustworthy? Are there any that make us appear less so? Researchers at Durham University's psychology department looked into this. The study, reported by The Guardian involved some images that were shown to 160 people. They were then asked about their opinions. These 72 images were of 18 caucasian men and 18 caucasian women. In the images, they were either smiling or had a neutral expression. The face were then superimposed on six different backgrounds. These were: a living room, a blurred living room, a bookcase, house plants on a cupboard, a blank wall and a walrus in front of an iceberg. A finishing touch was then given to make these images look like those during a Zoom call. “In a world where Covid has turned a lot of first impressions online, in making a first impression, you no longer just have to think about how you look, you also have to think about how your background looks," said Paddy Ross, an associate professor at Durham University as quoted by The Guardian. “What we wanted to know was: do I look more trustworthy or competent if, for instance, I was in front of some plants, or a bookcase, or my living room, or maybe I have a messy living room and I want to blur it, or just a blank wall or a novelty background?” The study found that if you had a bookcase behind you or plant, there was a higher chance that the person on the other end of the video call would deem you trustworthy and competent. With Walrus in the background? Prospects didn't seem as bright. “Will a background really make you look less trustworthy than someone else who uses a different background? If you can sit in front of a bookcase or some house plants we found those to be the best for ratings of trust and competence in the person. Try to avoid having a novelty background or your living space behind you. We found those to be the worst for ratings of trust and confidence. Blurred backgrounds are OK but if you can show plants or bookcases that’s the best for first impressions for trust and competence.” You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

On a video call? Keep bookcase or plant behind you to appear trustworthy: Study

A group of investors protested outside the office of Zhongrong International Trust Co—one of China’s largest shadow banks—after it again failed to make payments on dozens of its products.

Zhongrong is the ninth largest trust in China, with 600 billion Chinese yuan, or $82 billion, worth of assets under management. It has been deferring its payments since late July.

According to Bloomberg, Zhongrong has missed payments on dozens of products and has no immediate plan to make clients whole payouts.

At least 30 products are now overdue, and Zhongrong also reportedly halted redemptions on some short-term instruments.

<h2>Deferred payments since July&nbsp;</h2>

On Wednesday (Aug 16), around two dozen protesters flocked to Zhongrong to demand payment. A video of the incident also went viral showing around 10 police and security officers deployed outside the office and attempting to pacify the agitated crowd.

In one of the clips, which was accessed by Bloomberg, a woman angrily asks about a product she owned that matured on July 28. “Why doesn’t the company pay us back?” she says. “It has already matured. Your financial statements said there is a profit.”

Another woman shouts,&nbsp;“Give us the money back, or we will die here.” A third says: “Why you don’t give us a clear explanation?”

The liquidity crisis troubling Zhongrong has sent alarm bells in Beijing as it comes just days after Country Garden, China's biggest private-sector developer by sales, missed interest payments on two US-dollar-denominated bonds.

<h2>China economy: Overall urban employment rises, economy in China signals sharper downturn</h2>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/china-economy-overall-urban-employment-rises-economy-in-china-signals-sharper-downturn-625672/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<h2>Looming crisis&nbsp;</h2>

Both events are concerning as China's trust companies, once seen as a safe place for wealthy Chinese to park their money for hefty returns, are struggling to repay their clients.

These trust companies sell investment or trust products to corporate and wealthy clients. The clients' funds are then pooled and invested in a wide range of products or used as loans to private companies — including real-estate developers.

According to Bloomberg Economics, as of the end of 2022, China's trust sector's exposure to real estate was about 2.2 trillion yuan, or $302 billion, accounting for 10 per cent of its total assets.

Recently, a lot of trust firms have started defaulting on billions of dollars of investment products and the industry has shrunk by about 20 per cent from its peak in 2017, when regulators began clamping down on the nation’s shadow-banking excesses.&nbsp;

“The big danger is that a negative feedback loop kicks in, with property stress causing strains in the financial system, undermining credit expansion and depressing growth, which, in turn, exacerbates the slump in the property sector,” Bloomberg Economics said in a note.

(With inputs from agencies)

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A group of investors protested outside the office of Zhongrong International Trust Co—one of China’s largest shadow banks—after it again failed to make payments on dozens of its products.

A group of investors protested outside the office of Zhongrong International Trust Co—one of China’s largest shadow banks—after it again failed to make payments on dozens of its products. Zhongrong is the ninth largest trust in China, with 600 billion Chinese yuan, or $82 billion, worth of assets under management. It has been deferring its payments since late July. According to Bloomberg, Zhongrong has missed payments on dozens of products and has no immediate plan to make clients whole payouts. At least 30 products are now overdue, and Zhongrong also reportedly halted redemptions on some short-term instruments. Deferred payments since July On Wednesday (Aug 16), around two dozen protesters flocked to Zhongrong to demand payment. A video of the incident also went viral showing around 10 police and security officers deployed outside the office and attempting to pacify the agitated crowd. In one of the clips, which was accessed by Bloomberg, a woman angrily asks about a product she owned that matured on July 28. “Why doesn’t the company pay us back?” she says. “It has already matured. Your financial statements said there is a profit.” Another woman shouts, “Give us the money back, or we will die here.” A third says: “Why you don’t give us a clear explanation?” The liquidity crisis troubling Zhongrong has sent alarm bells in Beijing as it comes just days after Country Garden, China's biggest private-sector developer by sales, missed interest payments on two US-dollar-denominated bonds. China economy: Overall urban employment rises, economy in China signals sharper downturn Looming crisis Both events are concerning as China's trust companies, once seen as a safe place for wealthy Chinese to park their money for hefty returns, are struggling to repay their clients. These trust companies sell investment or trust products to corporate and wealthy clients. The clients' funds are then pooled and invested in a wide range of products or used as loans to private companies — including real-estate developers. According to Bloomberg Economics, as of the end of 2022, China's trust sector's exposure to real estate was about 2.2 trillion yuan, or $302 billion, accounting for 10 per cent of its total assets. Recently, a lot of trust firms have started defaulting on billions of dollars of investment products and the industry has shrunk by about 20 per cent from its peak in 2017, when regulators began clamping down on the nation’s shadow-banking excesses. “The big danger is that a negative feedback loop kicks in, with property stress causing strains in the financial system, undermining credit expansion and depressing growth, which, in turn, exacerbates the slump in the property sector,” Bloomberg Economics said in a note. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

Dozens of investors protest as China's shadow bank misses payments, signals deep distress in economy

President Joe Biden&nbsp;is set to play host to dozens of African leaders in Washington this week as the White House looks to narrow a gaping trust gap with Africa — one that has grown wider over years of frustration about America’s commitment to the continent.

In the lead-up to the three-day&nbsp;US-Africa Leaders Summit&nbsp;that begins Tuesday, Biden administration officials played down their&nbsp;increasing concern&nbsp;about the clout of&nbsp;China&nbsp;and&nbsp;Russia&nbsp;in Africa, which is home to more than 1.3 billion people. Instead, administration officials tried to put the focus on their efforts to improve cooperation with African leaders.

“This summit is an opportunity to deepen the many partnerships we have on the African continent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the shadow that China and Russia cast on the meetings. “We will focus on our efforts to strengthen these partnerships across a wide range of sectors spanning from businesses to health to peace and security, but our focus will be on Africa next week.”

To that end, White House officials said that “major deliverables and initiatives” — diplomatic speak for big announcements — will be peppered throughout the meetings. The White House previewed one&nbsp;major summit<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-g-20-summit-africa-us-national-security-council-united-states-government-ecbff4ac4c0051cecd7d1c1e8fe451bf"> </a>announcement&nbsp;on Friday, saying that Biden would use the gathering to declare his support for adding the African Union as a permanent member of the&nbsp;Group of 20&nbsp;nations.

The summit will be the biggest international gathering in Washington since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local officials are warning residents to brace for road blocks and intensified security as 49 invited heads of states and leaders — and Biden — whiz around the city.

Talks are expected to center on the coronavirus, climate change, the impact of&nbsp;Russia’s invasion of<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine"> </a>Ukraine&nbsp;on Africa, trade and more, according to White House officials. Biden is set to deliver remarks at a U.S.-Africa business forum, hold small group meetings with leaders, host a leaders’ dinner at the White House and take part in other sessions with leaders during the gathering.

Biden has spent much of his first two years in office trying to assuage&nbsp;doubters on the international stage<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-united-nations-general-assembly-taiwan-biden-health-9b1b11a721705d0ea3d3c85141f2f968"> </a>about American leadership&nbsp;after four years of Donald Trump’s&nbsp;“America First” foreign policy. With this summit — a follow-up to the first such gathering held eight years ago by President Barack Obama — Biden has an opportunity to assuage concerns in Africa about whether the U.S. is serious about tending to the relationship.

Biden’s effort to draw African nations closer to the U.S. comes at a complicated moment, as his administration has made plain that it believes that Chinese and Russian activity in Africa is a serious concern to U.S. and African interests.

In its&nbsp;sub-Saharan Africa strategy&nbsp;unveiled in August, the Biden administration warned that China, which has pumped billions into African energy, infrastructure and other projects, sees the region as an arena where Beijing can “challenge the rules-based international order, advance its own narrow commercial and geopolitical interests, undermine transparency and openness.”

The administration also argues that Russia, the preeminent arms dealer in Africa, views the continent as a permissive environment for Kremlin-connected oligarchs and private military companies to focus on fomenting instability for their own strategic and financial benefit.

Still, administration officials are emphasizing that concerns about China and Russia will not be central to the talks.

“The United States prioritizes our relationship with Africa for the sake of our mutual interests and our partnership in dealing with global challenges,” Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs,&nbsp;told<a href="https://www.state.gov/digital-press-briefing-with-u-s-department-of-states-bureau-of-african-affairs-assistant-secretary-molly-phee-and-national-security-council-senior-director-for-african-affairs-judd-devermont/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> </a>reporters before the summit.&nbsp;“We are very conscious, again, of the Cold War history, we’re conscious, again, of the deleterious impact of colonialism on Africa, and we studiously seek to avoid repeating some of the mistakes of those earlier eras.”

The administration has been disappointed that much of the continent has declined to follow the US&nbsp;in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Biden is not expected to dwell on differences publicly.

The president is expected to participate with leaders in a session on promoting food security and food systems resilience. Africa has been disproportionately impacted by the global rise in food prices that has been caused in part by the drop in shipments from major grain exporter Ukraine.

“One of the unique aspects of this summit is the collateral damage that the Russian war has inflicted on Africa in terms of food supply and the diversion of development assistance to Ukraine. The opportunity costs of the invasion have been very high in Africa,” said John Stremlau, a visiting professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg.

Four countries that were suspended from the African Union — Guinea, Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso— were not invited to the summit because coups in those nations led to unconstitutional changes in power. The White House also did not invite the East African nation of Eritrea; Washington does not have full diplomatic relations with the country.

Biden’s decision to invite several leaders to the summit who have questionable records on human rights and democracy is looming large ahead of the gathering.

Equatorial Guinea was invited despite the State Department stating that it held&nbsp;“serious doubts”&nbsp;about&nbsp;last<a href="https://apnews.com/article/africa-equatorial-guinea-malabo-government-and-politics-teodoro-obiang-nguema-mbasogo-f221186f2e29fc68e4371a13835e1918"> </a>month’s election&nbsp;in the tiny Central African nation. Opposition parties “made credible allegations of significant election-related irregularities, including documented instances of fraud, intimidation, and coercion,” according to the department. Election officials reported that President Teodoro Obiang’s ruling party won nearly 95% of the vote.

Zimbabwe, which has faced years of U.S. and Western sanctions over poor governance, human rights abuses and widespread corruption, also was invited.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who seized power from longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, has sought to cast himself as a reformer, but local and international human rights campaigners accuse him of repression that is just as bad or even worse than Mugabe’s.

Although Mnangagwa enjoys cozy relations with China and Russia, as did Mugabe, he has also sought to make friends with the U.S. and other Western countries in an effort to bolster his legitimacy.

In a national address that he delivered in November in a new Chinese-gifted multimillion-dollar parliament building, Mnangagwa held out the invitation to the U.S.-Africa summit as a sign of his administration’s success. He said the southern African country welcomed the invitation, but he also called for the “unconditional” removal of sanctions that he blames for Zimbabwe’s debilitating economic woes.

“Emphasis remains on dialogue,” Mnangagwa said.

Ethiopia received an invitation even though Biden late last last year announced he was&nbsp;cutting out the country<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-business-africa-united-states-global-trade-a3e49884bef0edb51bb9d8020f2b899b"> </a>from a US&nbsp;trade program,&nbsp;known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act, over Ethiopia’s failure to end a war in the Tigray region that led to “gross violations” of human rights. A peace deal was signed last month, but implementation faces major challenges such as the continued presence of troops from neighboring Eritrea.

Analysts say that African leaders will be looking for Biden to make some major commitments during the summit, including announcing his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to bolster the continent’s economy through private sector investment and trade and more.

Perhaps most importantly, it could be an opportunity for Biden to demonstrate that Africa is more than a battleground in its economic and military competition with Beijing and Moscow.

“I do strongly believe that the United States is still seen as a superpower from the African perspective, but most African leaders do not want to align with its promotion of democracy,” said Abraham Kuol Nyuon, a political analyst and associate professor of political science at the University of Juba in South Sudan. “They need the support of America but not the system of America.”

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President Joe Biden is set to play host to dozens of African leaders in Washington this week as the White House looks to narrow a gaping trust gap with Africa — one that has grown wider over years of frustration about America’s commitment to the continent.

President Joe Biden is set to play host to dozens of African leaders in Washington this week as the White House looks to narrow a gaping trust gap with Africa — one that has grown wider over years of frustration about America’s commitment to the continent. In the lead-up to the three-day US-Africa Leaders Summit that begins Tuesday, Biden administration officials played down their increasing concern about the clout of China and Russia in Africa, which is home to more than 1.3 billion people. Instead, administration officials tried to put the focus on their efforts to improve cooperation with African leaders. “This summit is an opportunity to deepen the many partnerships we have on the African continent,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about the shadow that China and Russia cast on the meetings. “We will focus on our efforts to strengthen these partnerships across a wide range of sectors spanning from businesses to health to peace and security, but our focus will be on Africa next week.” To that end, White House officials said that “major deliverables and initiatives” — diplomatic speak for big announcements — will be peppered throughout the meetings. The White House previewed one major summit announcement on Friday, saying that Biden would use the gathering to declare his support for adding the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of 20 nations. The summit will be the biggest international gathering in Washington since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Local officials are warning residents to brace for road blocks and intensified security as 49 invited heads of states and leaders — and Biden — whiz around the city. Talks are expected to center on the coronavirus, climate change, the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Africa, trade and more, according to White House officials. Biden is set to deliver remarks at a U.S.-Africa business forum, hold small group meetings with leaders, host a leaders’ dinner at the White House and take part in other sessions with leaders during the gathering. Biden has spent much of his first two years in office trying to assuage doubters on the international stage about American leadership after four years of Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy. With this summit — a follow-up to the first such gathering held eight years ago by President Barack Obama — Biden has an opportunity to assuage concerns in Africa about whether the U.S. is serious about tending to the relationship. Biden’s effort to draw African nations closer to the U.S. comes at a complicated moment, as his administration has made plain that it believes that Chinese and Russian activity in Africa is a serious concern to U.S. and African interests. In its sub-Saharan Africa strategy unveiled in August, the Biden administration warned that China, which has pumped billions into African energy, infrastructure and other projects, sees the region as an arena where Beijing can “challenge the rules-based international order, advance its own narrow commercial and geopolitical interests, undermine transparency and openness.” The administration also argues that Russia, the preeminent arms dealer in Africa, views the continent as a permissive environment for Kremlin-connected oligarchs and private military companies to focus on fomenting instability for their own strategic and financial benefit. Still, administration officials are emphasizing that concerns about China and Russia will not be central to the talks. “The United States prioritizes our relationship with Africa for the sake of our mutual interests and our partnership in dealing with global challenges,” Molly Phee, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, told reporters before the summit. “We are very conscious, again, of the Cold War history, we’re conscious, again, of the deleterious impact of colonialism on Africa, and we studiously seek to avoid repeating some of the mistakes of those earlier eras.” The administration has been disappointed that much of the continent has declined to follow the US in condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Biden is not expected to dwell on differences publicly. The president is expected to participate with leaders in a session on promoting food security and food systems resilience. Africa has been disproportionately impacted by the global rise in food prices that has been caused in part by the drop in shipments from major grain exporter Ukraine. “One of the unique aspects of this summit is the collateral damage that the Russian war has inflicted on Africa in terms of food supply and the diversion of development assistance to Ukraine. The opportunity costs of the invasion have been very high in Africa,” said John Stremlau, a visiting professor of international relations at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Four countries that were suspended from the African Union — Guinea, Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso— were not invited to the summit because coups in those nations led to unconstitutional changes in power. The White House also did not invite the East African nation of Eritrea; Washington does not have full diplomatic relations with the country. Biden’s decision to invite several leaders to the summit who have questionable records on human rights and democracy is looming large ahead of the gathering. Equatorial Guinea was invited despite the State Department stating that it held “serious doubts” about last month’s election in the tiny Central African nation. Opposition parties “made credible allegations of significant election-related irregularities, including documented instances of fraud, intimidation, and coercion,” according to the department. Election officials reported that President Teodoro Obiang’s ruling party won nearly 95% of the vote. Zimbabwe, which has faced years of U.S. and Western sanctions over poor governance, human rights abuses and widespread corruption, also was invited. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who seized power from longtime ruler Robert Mugabe in 2017, has sought to cast himself as a reformer, but local and international human rights campaigners accuse him of repression that is just as bad or even worse than Mugabe’s. Although Mnangagwa enjoys cozy relations with China and Russia, as did Mugabe, he has also sought to make friends with the U.S. and other Western countries in an effort to bolster his legitimacy. In a national address that he delivered in November in a new Chinese-gifted multimillion-dollar parliament building, Mnangagwa held out the invitation to the U.S.-Africa summit as a sign of his administration’s success. He said the southern African country welcomed the invitation, but he also called for the “unconditional” removal of sanctions that he blames for Zimbabwe’s debilitating economic woes. “Emphasis remains on dialogue,” Mnangagwa said. Ethiopia received an invitation even though Biden late last last year announced he was cutting out the country from a US trade program, known as the African Growth and Opportunity Act, over Ethiopia’s failure to end a war in the Tigray region that led to “gross violations” of human rights. A peace deal was signed last month, but implementation faces major challenges such as the continued presence of troops from neighboring Eritrea. Analysts say that African leaders will be looking for Biden to make some major commitments during the summit, including announcing his first presidential visit to sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to bolster the continent’s economy through private sector investment and trade and more. Perhaps most importantly, it could be an opportunity for Biden to demonstrate that Africa is more than a battleground in its economic and military competition with Beijing and Moscow. “I do strongly believe that the United States is still seen as a superpower from the African perspective, but most African leaders do not want to align with its promotion of democracy,” said Abraham Kuol Nyuon, a political analyst and associate professor of political science at the University of Juba in South Sudan. “They need the support of America but not the system of America.” WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Biden aims to narrow trust gap with US-Africa leaders summit

A new survey shows that trust in women leaders is falling. This comes even as more women are taking up leadership roles. Priyanka Sharma tells you more.

Gravitas: Trust in Women leaders is falling

A growing number of people seem to be avoiding news and trusting it less nowadays, a report said on Tuesday. The news stories like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cost-of-living crisis, coronavirus pandemic, etc do not seem to interest the people, the report added.&nbsp;The majority of people, who were surveyed, read the news regularly. Around 38% sometimes avoid the news. The figure is up from 29% in 2017. Not just this, the news seems to be also lowering the mood of around 36% respondents, who are under the age of 35. &nbsp;

The findings were published in the annual Digital News Report of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The trust in the news is also witnessing a decline. It seems to have been the lowest in the United States. Around 42% people on average said that they trust news generally. The count has nosedived in almost half of the nations in the report. It has only risen in just seven countries.

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An online survey of 93,432 people was conducted in 46 markets to come up with the report. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director, Reuters Institute, said in the report, “Large numbers of people see the media as subject to undue political influence, and only a small minority believe most news organisations put what’s best for society ahead of their own commercial interest.” &nbsp;&nbsp;

Young people are nowadays accessing news via search engines, aggregators and social media platforms. They also have a weak connection to brands in news industry, the report said. &nbsp;&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)&nbsp;

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&nbsp;

A growing number of people seem to be avoiding news and trusting it less nowadays, a report said on Tuesday. The news stories like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cost-of-living crisis, coronavirus pandemic, etc do not seem to interest the people, the report added.

A growing number of people seem to be avoiding news and trusting it less nowadays, a report said on Tuesday. The news stories like Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cost-of-living crisis, coronavirus pandemic, etc do not seem to interest the people, the report added. The majority of people, who were surveyed, read the news regularly. Around 38% sometimes avoid the news. The figure is up from 29% in 2017. Not just this, the news seems to be also lowering the mood of around 36% respondents, who are under the age of 35. The findings were published in the annual Digital News Report of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The trust in the news is also witnessing a decline. It seems to have been the lowest in the United States. Around 42% people on average said that they trust news generally. The count has nosedived in almost half of the nations in the report. It has only risen in just seven countries. Watch WION's live TV here: An online survey of 93,432 people was conducted in 46 markets to come up with the report. Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, Director, Reuters Institute, said in the report, “Large numbers of people see the media as subject to undue political influence, and only a small minority believe most news organisations put what’s best for society ahead of their own commercial interest.” Young people are nowadays accessing news via search engines, aggregators and social media platforms. They also have a weak connection to brands in news industry, the report said. (With inputs from agencies) You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. ×

More people avoid, trust it less: News seems to be losing its sheen, says report

The public is losing confidence in the democratically elected governments, a recent global survey has revealed, adding that pandemic response and pessimism over the economy has caused a major trust deficit.

The survey was done by Edelman Trust Barometer, which has been polling thousands of people for over two decades on trust in their governments, media, business and NGOs.

The report, which surveyed more than 36,000 people in 28 countries between November 1 and November 24 last year, found that the trust declined across all institutions compared to May 2020.

Only 61 <a name="_Hlk93431215">per cent </a>of survey respondents said they trust businesses to do the right thing, followed by 59 per cent trust in NGOs, 52 per cent in government and 50 per cent in media.&nbsp;

Comparatively, in May 2020, government was the most trusted source at 65 per cent, followed by business (62 per cent), NGOs (62 per cent) and media (56 per cent).&nbsp;

Surprisingly, people’s trust in the government seems to be high in autocratic countries, especially China, the survey noted.

“We really have a collapse of trust in democracies,” Richard Edelman, the head of the Edelman communications, told Reuters.

"It all goes back to: 'Do you have a sense of economic confidence?'" he added, noting high levels of concern about job losses linked either to the pandemic or automation.

The biggest losers of public trust over the last year were institutions in Germany, down 7 points to 46, Australia at 53 (-6), the Netherlands at 57 (-6), South Korea at 42 (-5) and the United States at 43 (-5).

By contrast, public trust in institutions in China stood at 83 per cent, up 11 points, 76 per cent in United Arab Emirates (+9) and 66% in Thailand (+5).

The trillions of dollars of stimulus spent by the world's richest nations to support their economies through the pandemic have failed to instil a lasting sense of confidence, the survey suggested.

But in China, nearly two-thirds were optimistic about their economic fortunes and 80 per cent of Indians believed they would be better off in five years.

Edelman said higher public trust levels in China were linked not just to economic perceptions but also to a greater sense of predictability about Chinese policy, not least on the pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)

The public is losing confidence in the democratically elected governments, a recent global survey has revealed, adding that pandemic response and pessimism over the economy has caused a major trust deficit.

The public is losing confidence in the democratically elected governments, a recent global survey has revealed, adding that pandemic response and pessimism over the economy has caused a major trust deficit. The survey was done by Edelman Trust Barometer, which has been polling thousands of people for over two decades on trust in their governments, media, business and NGOs. The report, which surveyed more than 36,000 people in 28 countries between November 1 and November 24 last year, found that the trust declined across all institutions compared to May 2020. Only 61 per cent of survey respondents said they trust businesses to do the right thing, followed by 59 per cent trust in NGOs, 52 per cent in government and 50 per cent in media. Comparatively, in May 2020, government was the most trusted source at 65 per cent, followed by business (62 per cent), NGOs (62 per cent) and media (56 per cent). Surprisingly, people’s trust in the government seems to be high in autocratic countries, especially China, the survey noted. “We really have a collapse of trust in democracies,” Richard Edelman, the head of the Edelman communications, told Reuters. "It all goes back to: 'Do you have a sense of economic confidence?'" he added, noting high levels of concern about job losses linked either to the pandemic or automation. The biggest losers of public trust over the last year were institutions in Germany, down 7 points to 46, Australia at 53 (-6), the Netherlands at 57 (-6), South Korea at 42 (-5) and the United States at 43 (-5). By contrast, public trust in institutions in China stood at 83 per cent, up 11 points, 76 per cent in United Arab Emirates (+9) and 66% in Thailand (+5). The trillions of dollars of stimulus spent by the world's richest nations to support their economies through the pandemic have failed to instil a lasting sense of confidence, the survey suggested. But in China, nearly two-thirds were optimistic about their economic fortunes and 80 per cent of Indians believed they would be better off in five years. Edelman said higher public trust levels in China were linked not just to economic perceptions but also to a greater sense of predictability about Chinese policy, not least on the pandemic. (With inputs from agencies)

People losing trust in democratically elected governments, says survey

The&nbsp;pandemic&nbsp;has helped rebuild a little of the confidence lost in the&nbsp;media, and pushed news companies even more towards digital, according to the annual Reuters Institute&nbsp;report&nbsp;published Wednesday.

The 10th edition of the&nbsp;report&nbsp;on digital news found that confidence in news reporting had risen six points to 44 per cent since the start of the crisis.

The figures were based on a series of opinion polls conducted by YouGov in 46 countries, with more than 92,000 participants in total.

The highest rates of&nbsp;trust&nbsp;remained in Finland (65 per cent) while the United States fell to the lowest among the countries covered, at just 29 per cent.&nbsp;

France was a little better at 30 per cent despite an increase of seven points.&nbsp;

"The focus on factual reporting during the Covid-19 crisis may have made the news seem more straightforward, while the story has also had the effect of squeezing out more partisan political news," said lead author Nic Newman.

"This may be a temporary effect, but in almost all countries we see audiences placing a greater premium on accurate and reliable news sources."

Shift to digital

The Reuters Institute, based at the Britain's University of Oxford, found&nbsp;increased&nbsp;consumption of mainstream news particularly in countries with "strong and independent public service&nbsp;media".&nbsp;

But it also said printed&nbsp;media&nbsp;remained in steep decline, worsened by the impact on sales and advertising revenue of the&nbsp;pandemic.

This has accelerated the shift towards digital subscriptions, especially in countries where physical sales had stayed relatively high like Germany, Austria and Switzerland.&nbsp;

However, in the roughly 20 countries where newspapers were actively developing their digital sales, only 17 per cent of respondents said they paid for news online, up to two points on last year's&nbsp;report&nbsp;and five compared to 2016.&nbsp;

The number of people paying for news was highest in wealthier countries with traditions of subscribing to physical newspapers, such as Norway (45 per cent) and Sweden (30).&nbsp;

The numbers were lower for the US (21 per cent), France (11), Germany (9) and Britain (8).

"Subscriptions are beginning to work for some publishers but it won't work for all publishers and most importantly, it won't work for all consumers," said co-author Rasmus Kleis Nielsen.&nbsp;

"Given abundant access to free news, publishers will need to develop compelling options to bundle publications or more ways of paying a smaller amount for limited access."

Misinformation

Meanwhile,&nbsp;trust&nbsp;in news shared on social&nbsp;media&nbsp;remained very low at 24 per cent.&nbsp;

There has been a gradual increase in concern over misinformation, though it varies greatly between countries, from 82 per cent in Brazil to 37 per cent in Germany.&nbsp;

A large majority still want&nbsp;media&nbsp;to be impartial (74 per cent) and believe opposing views should be given a balanced hearing (72 per cent).

The&nbsp;report&nbsp;also found younger generations had weak links to traditional&nbsp;media&nbsp;and were more likely to get their news from social&nbsp;media, aggregators and notifications.&nbsp;

Facebook has lost ground to its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram as a source of news.&nbsp;

It said TikTok has become an increasingly popular source of news, particularly among younger audiences, in the wake of the&nbsp;pandemic&nbsp;and race protests of 2020, as well as becoming a key way to mobilise political protests in places like Peru, Indonesia and Thailand.&nbsp;

The pandemic has helped rebuild a little of the confidence lost in the media, and pushed news companies even more towards digital, according to the annual Reuters Institute report published Wednesday.

The pandemic has helped rebuild a little of the confidence lost in the media, and pushed news companies even more towards digital, according to the annual Reuters Institute report published Wednesday. The 10th edition of the report on digital news found that confidence in news reporting had risen six points to 44 per cent since the start of the crisis. The figures were based on a series of opinion polls conducted by YouGov in 46 countries, with more than 92,000 participants in total. The highest rates of trust remained in Finland (65 per cent) while the United States fell to the lowest among the countries covered, at just 29 per cent. France was a little better at 30 per cent despite an increase of seven points. "The focus on factual reporting during the Covid-19 crisis may have made the news seem more straightforward, while the story has also had the effect of squeezing out more partisan political news," said lead author Nic Newman. "This may be a temporary effect, but in almost all countries we see audiences placing a greater premium on accurate and reliable news sources." Shift to digital The Reuters Institute, based at the Britain's University of Oxford, found increased consumption of mainstream news particularly in countries with "strong and independent public service media". But it also said printed media remained in steep decline, worsened by the impact on sales and advertising revenue of the pandemic. This has accelerated the shift towards digital subscriptions, especially in countries where physical sales had stayed relatively high like Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, in the roughly 20 countries where newspapers were actively developing their digital sales, only 17 per cent of respondents said they paid for news online, up to two points on last year's report and five compared to 2016. The number of people paying for news was highest in wealthier countries with traditions of subscribing to physical newspapers, such as Norway (45 per cent) and Sweden (30). The numbers were lower for the US (21 per cent), France (11), Germany (9) and Britain (8). "Subscriptions are beginning to work for some publishers but it won't work for all publishers and most importantly, it won't work for all consumers," said co-author Rasmus Kleis Nielsen. "Given abundant access to free news, publishers will need to develop compelling options to bundle publications or more ways of paying a smaller amount for limited access." Misinformation Meanwhile, trust in news shared on social media remained very low at 24 per cent. There has been a gradual increase in concern over misinformation, though it varies greatly between countries, from 82 per cent in Brazil to 37 per cent in Germany. A large majority still want media to be impartial (74 per cent) and believe opposing views should be given a balanced hearing (72 per cent). The report also found younger generations had weak links to traditional media and were more likely to get their news from social media, aggregators and notifications. Facebook has lost ground to its subsidiaries WhatsApp and Instagram as a source of news. It said TikTok has become an increasingly popular source of news, particularly among younger audiences, in the wake of the pandemic and race protests of 2020, as well as becoming a key way to mobilise political protests in places like Peru, Indonesia and Thailand.

Pandemic has increased trust in media: Report

Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, a new research shows that people are more likely to rely on algorithms than humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging.&nbsp;

From choosing the next song on your playlist to choosing the right size pants, people are relying more on the advice of algorithms to help make everyday decisions and streamline their lives.&nbsp;

"Algorithms are able to do a huge number of tasks and the number of tasks that they are able to do is expanding practically every day," said researcher Eric Bogert from the University of Georgia.&nbsp;

"It seems like there's a bias towards leaning more heavily on algorithms as a task gets harder and that effect is stronger than the bias towards relying on advice from other people," Bogert added.&nbsp;

For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team involved 1,500 individuals evaluating photographs.&nbsp;

The team asked volunteers to count the number of people in a photograph of a crowd and supplied suggestions that were generated by a group of other people and suggestions generated by an algorithm.&nbsp;

As the number of people in the photograph expanded, counting became more difficult and people were more likely to follow the suggestion generated by an algorithm rather than count themselves or follow the "wisdom of the crowd", the researcher said.&nbsp;

According to the researcher, the choice of counting as the trial task was an important one because the number of people in the photo makes the task objectively harder as it increases. It also is the type of task that laypeople expect computers to be good at.&nbsp;

Facial recognition and hiring algorithms have come under scrutiny in recent years as well because their use has revealed cultural biases in the way they were built, which can cause inaccuracies when matching faces to identities or screening for qualified job candidates, the team said.&nbsp;

Those biases may not be present in a simple task like counting, but their presence in other trusted algorithms is a reason why it's important to understand how people rely on algorithms when making decisions, they added.&nbsp;

Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, a new research shows that people are more likely to rely on algorithms than humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging.

Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, a new research shows that people are more likely to rely on algorithms than humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging. From choosing the next song on your playlist to choosing the right size pants, people are relying more on the advice of algorithms to help make everyday decisions and streamline their lives. "Algorithms are able to do a huge number of tasks and the number of tasks that they are able to do is expanding practically every day," said researcher Eric Bogert from the University of Georgia. "It seems like there's a bias towards leaning more heavily on algorithms as a task gets harder and that effect is stronger than the bias towards relying on advice from other people," Bogert added. For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team involved 1,500 individuals evaluating photographs. The team asked volunteers to count the number of people in a photograph of a crowd and supplied suggestions that were generated by a group of other people and suggestions generated by an algorithm. As the number of people in the photograph expanded, counting became more difficult and people were more likely to follow the suggestion generated by an algorithm rather than count themselves or follow the "wisdom of the crowd", the researcher said. According to the researcher, the choice of counting as the trial task was an important one because the number of people in the photo makes the task objectively harder as it increases. It also is the type of task that laypeople expect computers to be good at. Facial recognition and hiring algorithms have come under scrutiny in recent years as well because their use has revealed cultural biases in the way they were built, which can cause inaccuracies when matching faces to identities or screening for qualified job candidates, the team said. Those biases may not be present in a simple task like counting, but their presence in other trusted algorithms is a reason why it's important to understand how people rely on algorithms when making decisions, they added.

People trust computers more than humans: Study 

Dunya Maumoon, former foreign minister of the Maldives and the daughter of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was in Delhi recently.&nbsp;

She was the first high-profile Maldivian politician to visit India since the recent election&nbsp;in that country. In what was thought of as a surprise, the joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the election by a large margin. He will take office in November.&nbsp;

Over her short visit, Maumoon also met India's India's External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj.&nbsp;

She spoke exclusively to Siddhant Sibal, WION's Principal Diplomatic Correspondent in Delhi. Here are excerpts from their conversation:&nbsp;

 
Siddhant Sibal: What is the focus of your visit? What brings you here? 
Dunya Maumoon: Pleasure to be back in New Delhi. I visited many times as foreign minister and also in past as a close friend of India. As you know my father Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the former president of Maldives was the one who was the architect of modern democracy in the Maldives. He developed the country to very high levels. He was instrumental in building a warm friendship with India that was really the basis of the relationship between these two countries. I came here representing my father in informal meetings. I had a number of meetings and in particular was pleased to able to call on her excellency External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. I know her from past and we were colleagues who worked closely on many issues. I believe with the new government coming in the Maldives, it is time to look to rebuild the trust that was there between the two countries in the past. My hope is that when president-elect takes office he will build back trust and close warmth that existed between the two countries. Close people-to-people contact. We are hearing of lot of issues including visa and other matters. I hope we can resolve it and I am confident that the new president can lead us down that path.&nbsp;

 
SS: Can you tell us about developments in your country? 
DM: Whole world has been watching very carefully. As we know, the leadership of President Yameen. While he brought some development, mostly lot of people lived in fear and in an environment of lot of political persecution. Using the court he was able to lock up and convict lot of innocent people under various charges. This included my father who, at his age and given his health, it was a difficult time for him personally. My mother, my family, by brother, my brother-in-law were &nbsp;imprisoned. And many many other political figures with whom he was threatened were put in jail. It was sad to see this kind of situation in our country. We were relieved that Maldivian people's decision is not to condone such kind of behaviour from their leaders and hold them accountable. Hence we saw the Maldivian people decisively voted for democracy, freedom and human rights. I firmly believe that this decision and the will of the people needs to be fully implemented. All our instutions have backed that and supported that. Election commission has formally announced the result. There is huge margin. No room for any discussion and debate on that. Unfortunately President Yameen is a sore and very bad loser. He is refusing to accept it. He has gone to the court. I am confident that justice will be done and will of the people will be upheld.

 
SS: What is your take on the #MeToo movement. You have done a lot of work when it comes to gender issues? 
DM: &nbsp;It's a very important global movement that we see worldwide. Glad to see women particularly victims have found courage to speak up against the discrimination. Also particularly the kind of situations they have to face. It is important we join up with this movement. In my own country, I have worked on anti-domestic violence legislations. Lot more work we do need to do. I hope Maldives will be part of the global movement to promote women's rights and address the issue of violence against women. I wish the movement every success. I'm sure lot of men are supporting women in the quest against serious issues. Important to work together as a region and globally.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Dunya Maumoon, former foreign minister of the Maldives and the daughter of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was in Delhi recently. She was the first high-profile Maldivian politician to visit India since the recent election in that country.

Dunya Maumoon, former foreign minister of the Maldives and the daughter of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, was in Delhi recently. She was the first high-profile Maldivian politician to visit India since the recent election in that country. In what was thought of as a surprise, the joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the election by a large margin. He will take office in November. Over her short visit, Maumoon also met India's India's External Affairs minister Sushma Swaraj. She spoke exclusively to Siddhant Sibal, WION's Principal Diplomatic Correspondent in Delhi. Here are excerpts from their conversation: Siddhant Sibal: What is the focus of your visit? What brings you here? Dunya Maumoon: Pleasure to be back in New Delhi. I visited many times as foreign minister and also in past as a close friend of India. As you know my father Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the former president of Maldives was the one who was the architect of modern democracy in the Maldives. He developed the country to very high levels. He was instrumental in building a warm friendship with India that was really the basis of the relationship between these two countries. I came here representing my father in informal meetings. I had a number of meetings and in particular was pleased to able to call on her excellency External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. I know her from past and we were colleagues who worked closely on many issues. I believe with the new government coming in the Maldives, it is time to look to rebuild the trust that was there between the two countries in the past. My hope is that when president-elect takes office he will build back trust and close warmth that existed between the two countries. Close people-to-people contact. We are hearing of lot of issues including visa and other matters. I hope we can resolve it and I am confident that the new president can lead us down that path. SS: Can you tell us about developments in your country? DM: Whole world has been watching very carefully. As we know, the leadership of President Yameen. While he brought some development, mostly lot of people lived in fear and in an environment of lot of political persecution. Using the court he was able to lock up and convict lot of innocent people under various charges. This included my father who, at his age and given his health, it was a difficult time for him personally. My mother, my family, by brother, my brother-in-law were imprisoned. And many many other political figures with whom he was threatened were put in jail. It was sad to see this kind of situation in our country. We were relieved that Maldivian people's decision is not to condone such kind of behaviour from their leaders and hold them accountable. Hence we saw the Maldivian people decisively voted for democracy, freedom and human rights. I firmly believe that this decision and the will of the people needs to be fully implemented. All our instutions have backed that and supported that. Election commission has formally announced the result. There is huge margin. No room for any discussion and debate on that. Unfortunately President Yameen is a sore and very bad loser. He is refusing to accept it. He has gone to the court. I am confident that justice will be done and will of the people will be upheld. SS: What is your take on the #MeToo movement. You have done a lot of work when it comes to gender issues? DM: It's a very important global movement that we see worldwide. Glad to see women particularly victims have found courage to speak up against the discrimination. Also particularly the kind of situations they have to face. It is important we join up with this movement. In my own country, I have worked on anti-domestic violence legislations. Lot more work we do need to do. I hope Maldives will be part of the global movement to promote women's rights and address the issue of violence against women. I wish the movement every success. I'm sure lot of men are supporting women in the quest against serious issues. Important to work together as a region and globally.

Time to rebuild trust between our two countries: Ex-Maldives foreign minister to WION

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?

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