Oxfam unveils action plan after sex scandal

British charity Oxfam yesterday unveiled an action plan to tackle sexual misconduct following the "stain" of a prostitution scandal but the man at the centre of the allegations denied organising orgies.

The aid group said it would create an independent commission which will have the power to access records and interview staff in a bid to stamp out abuse and impose stricter controls on employees.

Oxfam will triple funding to more than $1 million (800,000 euros) to improve safeguarding, while also doubling the number of staff in this area and increasing investment in gender training.

The new plan comes a week after revelations that Oxfam staff used prostitutes while working in Haiti following a devastating 2010 earthquake and a wave of subsequent allegations of sexual misconduct.

Oxfam fired four staff members for gross misconduct and allowed three others to resign following an internal inquiry into what happened in Haiti in 2011.

The charity has denied covering up the Haiti affair, which has prompted a drop in donations and led the British government to threaten to cut funds to organisations .

The charity on Friday said it was also investigating allegations of sexual misconduct at a hotel in the Philippines after a destructive typhoon in 2013.