Deputy head of UK charity Oxfam resigns over sex scandal

The deputy chief executive of Oxfam Penny Lawrence has resigned. (Getty Images)

LONDON: British charity Oxfam said on Monday that Deputy Chief Executive Penny Lawrence had resigned, taking responsibility for how the organization “failed to act adequately” in response to concerns raised internally about sexual misconduct by some members of staff. “Over the last few days, we have become aware that concerns were raised about the behavior of staff in Chad as well as Haiti that we failed to adequately act upon,” Lawrence said in a statement.< “It is now clear that these allegations — involving the use of prostitutes and which related to behavior of both the Country Director and members of his team in Chad — were raised before he moved to Haiti.” The resignation comes as Oxfam is battling to save its British government funding after a newspaper reported alleged sexual misconduct by Oxfam staff in Haiti during humanitarian relief operations there following a 2010 earthquake.