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London, United Kingdom | AFP | Senegalese singer Baaba Maal is quitting his role as global ambassador for Oxfam over the British charity’s handling of sexual misconduct allegations concerning its staff, the BBC reported.
“What has happened on a human level is disgusting and heart-breaking,” he told BBC Newsnight late Wednesday.
“It is very sad. Vulnerable people especially children should always be protected. As such I am disassociating myself from Oxfam immediately,” he said.
Maal is the second ambassador to leave Oxfam after British actress Minnie Driver, who said she was “devastated” by the charity’s response to a sex scandal in Haiti that emerged last week.
Oxfam has admitted to a lack of transparency over an internal investigation about the use of prostitutes by its staff in Haiti, who were there to assist the country’s recovery after a devastating 2010 earthquake.
The investigation led to the dismissal of four employees and three others being allowed to resign.
The scandal has threatened government funding for Oxfam.
Britain’s International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt has warned she will cut off ties to any charity that covers up cases of sexual harassment or abuse.
