Devex: Accountability in the aid sector: Humanitarians can no longer be above the law
“In the wake of revelations that some Oxfam aid workers may have committed sexual crimes while working in Haiti after the 2011 earthquake, questions are being asked about how the staff involved managed to avoid prosecution and whether NGO and United Nations staff are in effect above the law when they carry out development or humanitarian work. The revelations have … shone a light on a broader legal vacuum within the sector in which alleged perpetrators are able to avoid investigation from prosecuting authorities for crimes committed while working in humanitarian settings. … [E]xperts are calling for an independent way of policing the humanitarian sector, including the creation of a ‘Special Court Mechanism,’ as proposed by Code Blue, and an international ombudsman…” (Edwards, 2/27).