Oxfam set to make £16m in cuts following sex scandal

Oxfam is set to make £16m in cuts due to huge losses following the Haiti sex-scandal earlier this year.

According to a number of reports, an internal document circulated last week by the charity’s chief executive Mark Goldring revealed Oxfam’s intentions to urgently recover £16m by making cuts to its programmes.

The document claimed the charity “will have to save substantial amounts of money to put [us] on a more stable and sustainable footing”, the Guardian reported.

The Guardian revealed the ‘confidential’ document continued to state: “It is clear […] that the size of our programmes will be substantially reduced for this year and next […] this means making tough choices.”

It added that job losses are somewhat “inevitable”, but the possibility of selling some of its high-street stores and reducing the number of operating countries were also reported proposals.

The news follows the announcement of Goldring’s resignation, which came in May amid the aftermath of the revelations of Oxfam's Haiti sex scandal.

The scandal shed light on misconduct by Oxfam staff, who had been working in earthquake-hit Haiti and other major disaster zones. The charity was accused of covering up for its staff by failing to be transparent when aid workers were accused of hiring prostitutes while working abroad.

Goldring initially resisted any pressure to step down, claiming he felt the reaction to the revelations was "out of proportion", adding: "The intensity and the ferocity of the attack makes you wonder, what did we do? We murdered babies in their cots?”

However, he later apologised for his flippant comments during a hearing with MPs, where he revealed the scale of the impact on the charity's reputation and income.

Goldring has now announced he will step down from his position, but stating he feels "proud" of Oxfam's work over the past few years.

"But I think the time is coming for a new leader. Following the very public exposure of Oxfam’s past failings, we have redoubled our efforts to ensure that Oxfam is a safe and respectful place for all who have contact with us," he said.

Goldring, who first joined Oxfam in the 1990s as a country director, will officially leave his post when a new chief executive for Oxfam is appointed. He was been the charity's CEO since 2013.

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