Oxfam worker molested by female colleague treated with 'hostility' and forced to resign

An Oxfam worker who claims she was molested by a female colleague has said that she was "constructively dismissed" from her job after reporting the assault.

Aimee Santos, who worked as a gender and protection coordinator for Oxfam Philippines, told The Guardian that she was forced to resign after reporting the sexual assault to senior management.

The assault, which reportedly took place in the Philippines in 2016, was acknowledged by Oxfam and the perpetrator was blacklisted.

Despite acknowledgement of her claim, Santos said she was "constructively dismissed" less than a year later.

"[Oxfam has] been extremely belligerent, retaliatory and vindictive. And they have gone after me, even when they didn't have any merit," Santos said.

The Philippine national labour relations commission ruled that in dismissing Santos, Oxfam had shown favour to the perpetrator "whose services management needed."

Oxfam had acted with "inexplicable hostility" towards Santos after she reported the assault, according to the commission.

"[The perpetrator] said she would resign from Oxfam; she said she would pay for my counselling; she would stop drinking," Santos told The Guardian. "If it had ended there, I would have perceived justice."

After investigating the incident, Santos said her work conditions worsened, with Oxfam Philippines reducing her training time and moving supplies she oversaw without informing her. "I promptly resigned," Santos said.

Oxfam told The Guardian that the matter was "fully investigated" at the time.

"The perpetrator's contract ended before the investigation was completed and they will never work for Oxfam again," the charity said, adding that it was "very sorry for the obvious distress this must have caused the victim and that she felt she couldn't continue to work for Oxfam."

Santos' story is the latest blow to the charity's reputation which has been hit by numerous scandals in recent weeks.

Oxfam's deputy chief executive Penny Lawrence resigned after senior management were accused of covering up sexual exploitation and misconduct.

Aid workers reportedly paid prostitutes, some of whom were underage, after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

The sex scandal further intensified after it emerged that 123 cases of sexual harassment were reported to have taken place in Oxfam charity shops over the past nine years.

International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has said that the government will cut its funding to Oxfam if the charity fails to show "moral leadership."