Where Did It All Start: Oxfam and the Aid Sector, Crisis Unfolding

There isn’t any logic in accommodating people, especially aid workers who sought to satisfy sexual urge in the midst of humanitarian crisis of epic scale, for how long are we going to debate the issue of sexual abuse within the aid sector, the unnoticed, yet systematic effects of this abuse is what we’ve over the years finds difficult to accept, that it’s a sector wide problem, it’s remarkable to see how power shifts in the midst of a humanitarian crisis, this power shifts attracts both the predators and the prey, creating an environment where sexual abuse of all kind can be traded for basic supplies.

I’ve tried to grasp what comes with the predatory feelings among aid workers because it’s easy to assert myself into such position, the conclusion that I arrived at is that we’ve been so consumed with this tragedy at face value that we failing to tackle the root cause. Oxfam over the years have occupied a huge humanitarian space around the world, in light of recent events, their credibility is being called into question globally, it’s almost easy to describe these abuse as systematic because from the reporting it’s obvious these predators continue to thrive in the aid sector without much whistle blowing, and how these abuse doesn’t filter through to the higher management officials. There seem to be a stop-gap in information flow that reflects a poor structural framework in the aid sector.

Winnie, Oxfam International Executive Director has shown extraordinary leadership considering the timeline and how fluid the situation have been in the past 48 hours, and it’s refreshing hearing how she intend to reignite the cultural awareness and strengthening organizational framework. The humanitarian sector need not to be competitive as it has been, there should be more information sharing, transparency and above all, the culture should always take precedent not the platform as it has been over the years.

Oxfam will recover, it’s difficult walking a fine line in this situation, and it’s appalling to see how these predators have overshadowed the good work of Oxfam within the past three days.

Chuks.