Giving Compass' Take:

• The sexual exploitation of Haitians by NGO workers in the product of the toxic culture of superiority of outside aid organizations. In order to prevent abuses and provide aid that actually lifts ups struggling communities, NGOs must see those they are helping as partners, rather than helpless victims.

• How do these patterns of behavior play out in intranational aid efforts as well as international aid efforts? What policies can be put in place to rebalance these relationships?

• Learn more how the EU plans to crack down on NGOs in the wake of the Oxfam scandal. 

Few countries have as complicated a relationship with international aid organizations as Haiti, a small Caribbean nation wracked by structural and environmental crises. Hundreds of aid groups began arriving decades ago on a development mandate; and when a 2010 earthquake reduced large parts of its capital, Port-au-Prince, to rubble, killing around 200,000 people, it was estimated that up to 10,000 aid organizations assisted with the recovery.

While most aid professionals work hard to assist their beneficiaries, the Oxfam scandal lifted the lid on instances of sexual abuse and exploitation in the sector. Many in Haiti have accused the groups of operating as a de facto “state within a state,” ignoring the orders of local authorities.

Trust in INGOs — never high to begin with — is now at an all-time low. Many see the organizations as maintaining a hierarchy between foreigners and locals, and say it is time for them to show more solidarity with Haiti if their trust is to be regained.

One way INGOs could show more solidarity, Sabine Lamour suggests, is by hiring more Haitian staff. Many organizations do rely on the Haitian workforce, she said, but for lower-grade positions such as driving and clerical work.

Read the full article on Haitians and Oxfam by Joe Parkin Daniels at Devex International Development