UK threatens to cut off aid cash to charities after Oxfam scandal

LONDON - The British Government said on Sunday it is warning all charities that receive UK aid to step up efforts to tackle sexual misconduct among staff or face having their funding cut, amid further fallout from a prostitution scandal involving Oxfam workers in Haiti in 2011.

The International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt revealed she was writing to the charities to insist they spell out what steps they are taking on the issue and confirm they have referred all concerns about specific cases and individuals to the relevant authorities.

The government made the announcement after Haitian ambassador to the United Kingdom, Bocchit Edmond, said on Saturday that Oxfam should publicly apologize for some members of its staff using prostitutes while working in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.