What?
I was intended to research on the area of charity and philanthropy at first to see if there’s hypocrisy behind the kind act. But from time to time, I found the safeguarding issue, ex: the Oxfam sex scandal in 2018, was also a huge topic in the charity field. Eventually, I decided to look at the safeguarding issue.
The question is:
How can public’s donations to form an intimidating power to safeguarding the recipient from aid workers’ harassment?
Why?
I want to have a voice for the people who suffer from aid workers’ exploitative action. I want to see the recipient will not need to trade anything in any situation off against the help they need. From the data shows that the abnormal relation and the power imbalance between aid provider and recipient can lead to increased vulnerability to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment. I want to explore more about the hypocrisy behind the kind act because I would like to avoid this such thing when delivering something charitable and meaningful for my final project.
How?
I will raise a program named, LoveMeSun. LoveMeSun is a program to scale the aid organization from their reputation, credibility and implementation. The aid organization should be a neutral medium between the public and the vulnerable. People empower them by money to give them credits to help the weak. But ironically, the organization hold the power and money which donated by the contributors against the vulnerable. The program wants to let the public knows which aid organization is not doing the right thing and to suggest contributors should halt their donation to certain charity if they didn’t take their work seriously. LoveMeSun hopes the result will form a power to fight against the exclusivity and closed environment of the aid organization and to demand the aid workers to treat the recipients ethical and humanely. The rating system of the program will collaborate with several journalists and reporters whose work on this field as they have the information straight from the horse’s mouth. Also, this program will collaborate with several former employees from the aid organizations. Lastly, the program will build a online reporting system to find the people who is suffering or was suffered where the tragedy happens. The program will find the journalists and the former charity employees by summer. Also, I will build up online reporting system by the end of September and hope this program will launch at the beginning of next year.
What if?
I think if I achieved this mastery, the most important is that I could benefit the recipient won’t face any risk when they need help. As for me, I will position myself as a philanthropist as this is my goal to help the people in need.
Reading List:
Vallely, P. (2020) ‘How philanthropy benefits the super-rich’, The Guardian, 8 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/sep/08/how-philanthropy-benefits-the-super-rich (Accessed: 20 February 2021).
Gayle, D. (2018) ‘Timeline: Oxfam sexual exploitation scandal in Haiti’, The Guardian, 15 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/15/timeline-oxfam-sexual-exploitation-scandal-in-haiti (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Elgot, J. (2018) ‘Oxfam told to show ‘moral leadership’ or lose government funds’, The Guardian, 11 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/11/oxfam-show-moral-leadership-lose-government-funds-prostitutes-haiti (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Booth, R. (2018) ‘Oxfam warned it could lose European funding over scandal’, The Guardian, 12 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/haiti-demands-oxfam-identify-workers-who-used-prostitutes (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Elgot, J. and McVeign, K(2018) ‘Oxfam loses 7000 donors since sexual exploitation scandal’, The Guardian, 20 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/20/oxfam-boss-mark-goldring-apologises-over-abuse-of-haiti-quake-victims (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Beaumont, P. (2018) ‘Trio on Oxfam’s Haiti team threatened key witness, report reveals’, The Guardian, 19 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/19/trio-oxfam-haiti-team-threatened-key-witness-confidential-report (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Ratcliffe, R. (2019) ‘Oxfam filed to report child abuse in Haiti, inquiry finds’, The Guardian, 11 June. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/jun/11/oxfam-abuse-claims-haiti-charity-commission-report (Accessed: 6 March 2021).
McVeigh, K. (2020) ‘Save the Children can resume funding bids following sexual abuse scandal’, The Guardian, 11 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/11/save-the-children-can-resume-funding-bids-following-sexual-abuse-scandal (Accessed: 16 March 2021).
McVeigh, K. and Summers, H. (2018) ‘Penny Mordaunt confronted on stage by protester over failings on aid sex abuse’, The Guardian, 15 October. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/oct/18/penny-mordaunt-confronted-on-stage-by-protester-over-failings-on-aid-sex-abuse (Accessed: 28 February 2021).
Ratcliffe, R. and Quinn, B. (2018) ‘Oxfam: fresh claims that staff used prostitutes in Chad’, The Guardian, 11 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/10/oxfam-faces-allegations-staff-paid-prostitutes-in-chad (Accessed: 2 March 2021).
Grierson, J. and agency. (2018) ‘Charities watchdog demands answers from Oxfam over Haiti scandal’, The Guardian, 10 February. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/09/oxfam-pressed-over-claims-haiti-aid-workers-used-prostitutes (Accessed: 2 March 2021).
Bindel, J. (2018) ‘The prostitution claims surrounding Oxfam don’t surprise me. I’ve seen it all before with the charities across the world – and the UN’, The Independent, 12 February. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/oxfam-prostitution-charity-aid-workers-haiti-un-peacekeepers-a8206646.html (Accessed: 1 March 2021).
FRANCE 24 English (2018) Oxfam: How to predators away from the most vulnerable. 17 February. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtpSvedAlXM&t=148s (Accessed: 10 March 2021).
CBC News (2020) Jean Vanier sexually abused 6 women, L’Arche reports finds. 23 February. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJIDZ_oj1JI (Accessed: 3 March 2021).
This Morning (2018) Eamon Grills Oxfam Fundraising Director Over Sex Scandal. 14 February. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqyaOMNHmcw (Accessed: 3 March 2021).
FRANCE 24 English (2016) Former UN staffer speaks out about sex abuse scandals. 3 November. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIshX2iOumo (Accessed: 3 March 2021).
HM Government (2020) UK Strategy: Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse and Sexual Harassment within the Aid Sector. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/916516/Safeguarding-Strategy-10092020.pdf (Accessed: 10 March 2021).
HM Government (2020) FCDO Progress Report on Safeguarding Against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment (SEAH) in the International Aid Sector, 2019-20. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/927479/FCDO-Safeguarding-Progress-Report-2019-20.pdf (Accessed: 10 March 2021).
Ramjaun, T. (2021) ‘Corporate management in a charity context: the internal communications challenge’, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 26(2), pp. 296-310. Gregory, G.et al. (2020) ‘Branding for non-profits: explaining new donor decision-making in the charity sector’, Journal of Product & Brand Management, 29(5), pp. 583-600.