Save the Children did not tell the Department for International Development about sexual misconduct allegations against Brendan Cox, who resigned as one of its senior executives while facing an investigation.
Dfid is understood to be concerned that it was kept in the dark. The charity said that reporting to Dfid “would not have been standard practice” in 2015.
The allegations against Mr Cox, widower of the Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in 2016, were reported by Save the Children to the Charity Commission in 2015. Kevin Watkins, chief executive of the charity and a trustee when the allegations were made, will be questioned by the international development select committee today.
Save the Children sack 30 staff after 120 misconduct complaints in a year
Save The Children dealt with 193 child protection and 35 sexual harassment cases involving allegations against its staff around the world last year, the head of the charity told MPs today.
Kevin Watkins, the chief executive, told the international development select committee that the misconduct cases in 120 countries led to 30 dismissals. The scandal of the sexual misconduct of some workers in Haiti, exposed by The Times this month, was a warning against complacency to the entire aid sector, he added.
Mr Watkins was a trustee of Save The Children in 2015 when Brendan Cox, widower of the murdered MP Jo Cox, was investigated over sexual harassment allegations but resigned before facing disciplinary action.
Former Save the Children boss ‘faced three complaints’
A former chief executive of Save the Children faced three complaints of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff before leaving the charity, the BBC has learned.
Justin Forsyth was accused of sending texts to young female staff about how they looked and what they were wearing.
Mr Forsyth said he had “apologised unreservedly” to the three workers.
It comes as Oxfam and Save the Children have separately been quizzed by MPs about sexual misconduct by workers.
All I can say is that Save the Children UK was one of the better ones during my time there.
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Well, of course it would be wouldn’t it?
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You would not know. Predators are clever and tend to operate through guile. They would not be at it under your nose.
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