Amid sex scandal, Oxfam faces reputational, existential crises

After explosive reports revealed aid workers paid for sex while delivering relief in Chad and Haiti, the resulting uproar has cast ominous clouds over the entire foreign aid industry.

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The #MeToo moment has become a global phenomenon as organizations worldwide face tough questions about their respective histories of sexual misconduct.

Oxfam, a U.K.-based charity, is reeling from reports that emergency aid teams paid for sex while serving in Chad and Haiti—and that top officials have long known about the allegations.

Although Oxfam seemed to have dismissed the behavior, critics have pointed out that the optics suggest that charity workers were exchanging life-saving aid for sex. Now, the controversy threatens the existence of the storied institution—and has sent ripples throughout the humanitarian aid community.

NPR wrote:

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