Actress Minnie Driver has stood down from her role as a celebrity ambassador for Oxfam. Minnie Driver had been to countries including Cambodia and Thailand in her role as a celebrity ambassador, and also performed at a fundraising concert for Oxfam.
This follows claims that staff for the charity in Haiti and other countries paid vulnerable people for sex. Driver is the first of Oxfam’s celebrity supporters to publicly address the scandal.
In a statement Driver said that she was “nothing short of horrified” by the allegations.
Oxfam said it was “grateful” for Driver’s commitment and that it was “more committed now than ever to learn from our mistakes”.
The British charity is accused of concealing the findings of an inquiry into claims staff used prostitutes while delivering aid in Haiti in 2011.
She posted a statement on twitter earlier saying she was “devastated by the response of an organisation”
All I can tell you about this awful revelation about Oxfam is that I am devastated.Devastated for the women who were used by people sent there to help them, devastated by the response of an organization that I have been raising awareness for since I was 9 years old #oxfamscandal
— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) February 13, 2018
Agreed.But, there are many other organizations with feet on the ground in developing countries,from big NGOs to grassroots.
No one has to stop helping because there has been terrible leadership in one area. To me,accountability can't just be a trigger word,it has to be actionable https://t.co/3PMYCyXuS2— Minnie Driver (@driverminnie) February 14, 2018
The actress, best known for the films Good Will Hunting, Grosse Point Blank and Hope Springs, said that although she could not continue her 20 years of involvement with Oxfam, she would work against “social and economic injustice”.
She is attending an event in Stockholm to find ways to end violence against children but is expected to use the opportunity to speak about the Oxfam.
[simple-payment id=”8065″]
