CHF Responds and Takes Allegations Seriously
David Humphries, Director of Communications, for CHF in Silver Spring, Maryland responded to the Ayiti Kale Je report by phone and email today. Saying CHF was aware of the report, Humphries promised CHF would initiate its own investigation of the allegations of sexual misconduct and kickbacks in its Cash For Work program. "Any corruption is one hundred percent unacceptable," he said.
Adding that he was uncertain of the accuracy of the allegations, CHF was investigating, since any impropriety "will not be tolerated."
CHF is investigating the complaints made in the article and will act in partnership with the community and the authorities to remove any offenders from their positions. Our position is clear: even if only 1% of the allegations are true, that 1% is unacceptable. Any incidents at all of corruption or exploitation are unacceptable"
In light of the allegations we are stepping up our protection for our community partners. In order to combat the potential of any corruption or sexual exploitation, CHF's Ravine Pintade implementing partner, Project Concern International, will be conducting awareness training against sexual harassment and exploitation for men and women engaged in the Cash for Work project. We are also setting up a hotline for people to complain about abuses anonymously and will do targeted outreach to vulnerable members of the community. CHF never has and never will tolerate corruption or sexual exploitation of its workers in any shape or form.
In any case, Ayiti Kale Je should be commended for stepping up to the plate and bringing these corruption charges to light. Until now, the allegations of sexual and monetary misconduct by aid organizations have been buried in obscure government audits and humanitarian organization file reports. Let's be confident that CHF conducts a full investigation in cooperation with Haitian grassroots organizations which are doing the real "heavy lifting" as the search for accountability continues in Haiti.
The controversy brings to mind U.S. Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) co-chairing a joint hearing of the Western Hemisphere and International Development Subcommittees of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The topic of the hearing was "Rebuilding Haiti in the Martelly Era. Participants were asked for three solutions to Haiti's reconstruction problems, provided they could "wave a magic wand."
In response to the televised hearing, Haitian activist and founder of the Haitian Lawyer's Leadership Network (HLLN), Ezili Danto, had this response about the mythical magic wand and the morass of international exacerbation of Haiti's misery:
"If I had a magic wand -- I'd wish a world where Christopher Columbus and Bartholomew De la Casas had not been born and the indigenous world and planet [were] left in peace," she writes.
Haiti Grassroots Watch is a partnership of AlterPresse, the Society of the Animation of Social Communication (SAKS), the Network of Women Community Radio Broadcasters (REFRAKA) and community radio stations from the Association of Haitian Community Media.
Georgianne Nienaber
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