this is bbc news. the headlines at two: as oxfam admit they ‘failed in moral leadership' — the government warns uk charities that funding will be withdrawn — if they fail to co—operate with the authorities in cases of sexual exploitation by staff. is the sector has to step up in terms of tackling what is an industry that has been targeted by individuals. by paedophiles. yes. they are targeting this because of the chaos that we work in. the foreign secretary, borisjohnson, is holding talks in myanmar about the return of rohingya muslims. a russian passenger aircraft carrying more than 70 people has crashed — soon after taking off from moscow on a domestic flight. there are no survivors. also in the next hour... great britain's andrew musgrave makes history at the winter olympics in pyeonchang. finishing 7th place in the men's skiathlon — the best performance by a briton in an olympic cross country event. meanwhile — in the arena — north korean cheerleaders

mesmerise the crowds with incredible synchronisation. and in half an hour — politics europe asks whether the uk will get the trade they want from europe — post brexit. good afternoon. the government has threatened to cut off all state funding and help for oxfam, and other charities, if they fail to ensure that vulnerable people are properly protected. the international development secretary penny mordaunt has described as ‘horrific‘ the behaviour of some of oxfam's workers in haiti, who were accused of using prostitutes in the aftermath of the earthquake there in 2010. the chair of trustees at the charity says 0xfam prides itself on being a transparent organisation working hard to improve the lives

of the poor and has apologised unreservedly saying "i share the anger and shame that behaviour like that highlighted in haiti in 2011 happened in our organisation. it is clear that such behaviour is completely outside our values and should never be tolerated." angus crawford has this report. first haiti, now chad, one of the poorest countries on earth, new allegations that a number of 0xfam workers paid local women for sex. the head of the mission there at the time was the same man who five years later in haiti resigned after admitting using prostitutes. four others were sacked. 0xfam won't confirm the details but says it is shocked and dismayed by the reports which highlight unacceptable behaviour by a small number of people. as the scandal grows, the

international development secretary penny mordaunt has sent a strong warning to all british charities receiving public money. they will lose the cash if they can't show a robust approach to safeguarding.” am very clear — it doesn't matter whether you have got a whistle—blowing hotline, if you've got safeguarding practices in place, if the moral leadership at the top of the organisation isn't there, then we cannot have you as a partner. she said 0xfam didn't give her department the full facts about what happened in haiti. at a meeting tomorrow, the charity will be given one last chance or be stripped of its public funding. today, more revelations about other aid agencies, reports that christian aid, save the children in the british red cross of all disciplined staff over sexual allegations. some who know the sector well i'm not

surprised. people need to realise that the vast majority of aid work in crisis situations is extraordinarily, saves lives and helps people who are very vulnerable. but aid agencies need to doa vulnerable. but aid agencies need to do a lot more to make sure that the best people are going into these areas, they are monitored, and these people who are very vulnerable, they have a voice too in how this unfolds. the government's now demanding every charity receiving taxpayer money disclose all past and current cases of sexual misconduct. a scandal affecting one charity is 110w a scandal affecting one charity is now threatening to engulf the entire sector. angus crawford, bbc news. let's speak now to dr elaine storkey who is the former president of a charity in the disaster emergency committee and has lectured on sexual violence against women on visits to haiti. what do you make of the impression

forming over the weekend that this is farfrom an forming over the weekend that this is far from an isolated incident? yes, it's a horrible idea that there might be even more revelations that we have not yet seen, and that does not surprise me. aid workers, working their socks off, they are subject to temptations and you can imagine some of them giving into it. how serious a problem is the exploitation of women, and did that situation get worse after the earthquake? it is like the exploitation of women across the world. is barbaric and relentless. women are prostituted and abused and so on. women are prostituted and abused and so on. in defence of the organisations, if it were not for them in places like haiti, it would be far worse, the whole issue of the availability of prostitution would be massive. we have to put it in

perspective. what you are seeing are very vulnerable women who very often have no other means of livelihood. they are poverty stricken, sold into slavery, often sex slavery, and they need to be respected, dignified and actually helped to exit rather than exploit it. yes, it is a terrible situation. we have heard from the government in haiti over the weekend and the ambassador was with us yesterday, and the government in port—au—prince has spoken today. they say they are angry that it was not reported to them. they would presumably have expected to prosecute the men involved. what sort of calculation do you think the charity would have made in that situation? should it have acted differently? all charities need checks and balances the role of their personnel. the kind of things we would do in the uk. if we were appointing anyone to a situation where there were vulnerable adults

oi’ where there were vulnerable adults or children, and i imagine that 0xfa m or children, and i imagine that 0xfam have those procedures in motion. i haven't seen them in motion. i haven't seen them in motion but it would be surprising if they didn't have them. as well as those safeguarding procedures, they have to have checks and balances and monitor the people working in the area. again, i want to stress that there are many people working for aid agencies all over the world, giving their lives very often, working their socks off. we have to see this in the perspective of the incredible work they are doing. haiti would not be where it is now if it were not for the tireless work in the amount of money being poured into the country. and a vocational school and education that these ngos have been running there. charity workers must feel angry in the sense that they get tarred with the same brush as the result of the stories. devastating, and they must feel like that. nonetheless, is there are practical problem about this time in

—— this type of information and if you let them go without disciplinary proceedings are completed. there we re proceedings are completed. there were people giving references for former colleagues having no idea that they had been let go from 0xfam for behaviour they themselves would have thought was completely beyond the pale. the issues are not dealt with and punishment are not given. that is there, right across—the—board, whichever organisation you are looking at, which ever sector of society, it is the same, over and over again. it is interesting that ngos are being targeted as if they were an obscure case. we have to be very careful about our practices everywhere. again, we should see this in a bigger perspective of what actually is happening in these countries. bigger perspective of what actually is happe you in these countries. bigger perspective of what actually is happe you make se countries. bigger perspective of what actually is happe you make of countries. ‘ the itic—z llirll

sort ‘ what deft, largest; 2.45.3! *h%¥"%*fl'f‘; ' '