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Moving in the right direction: A pledge to end sexual abuse and exploitation

March 28, 2018 Posted by Abby Maxman

More than 110 aid organizations commit to stronger global standards

Here’s some positive news: The heads of 116 development organizations based here in the US have endorsed a pledge to protect their staff and the people they serve from sexual abuse and exploitation, and to take concerted action against harassment and abuse.

It’s called the CEO Pledge on Preventing Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Harassment by and of NGO Staff, and it was created by the members of InterAction, the alliance of international nongovernmental organizations here in the US. Oxfam is a longstanding member of InterAction, and I was honored to serve as co-chair of the group tasked with creating this CEO pledge, which we started working on in December, 2017.

I see the CEO Pledge as an essential and welcome first step to get all of us who work on international development to agree on and commit to fundamental standards for our organizations to address problems of sexual abuse and exploitation. While many InterAction members (including Oxfam) already have more robust standards in these areas, the CEO pledge will help all the signatories to create transparent policies and a culture that encourages reporting of incidents. It will also commit us all to find ways of ensuring our investigations of incidents are comprehensive and we prevent offenders from being re-employed by others in our sector.

I hope this is just the beginning of coordinated and collective action that the aid and development world needs to stamp out sexual abuse and harassment. Our staff and the people we serve demand it. We must create an environment for our work where we prevent the more powerful people from preying on the more vulnerable. This type of injustice is not unique to the aid and development world, but organizations committed to ending poverty and human rights violations have a special responsibility to respond to it.

I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with my fellow CEOs to move our sector in the right direction. But I am also hoping the US organizations signing this pledge, along with InterAction, will facilitate collaboration with organizations based in other countries to build a global pledge to do the same. It may be a small step, but it is the start of a new era.

Abby Maxman

Abby Maxman is the President and CEO of Oxfam America, where she leads with a transformative vision for a more just and equitable world. Under her leadership, Oxfam America is advancing its commitment to addressing the root causes of poverty, inequality, and injustice, through locally led partnerships in humanitarian policy and practice, and advocating for economic justice, gender equality, climate action, and rights and dignity in crisis.

Maxman brings over 30 years of experience in the field, having held leadership roles including Deputy Secretary General of CARE International and Vice President of International Programs and Operations at CARE USA. Her career has taken her to more than 70 countries, and she has lived and worked in Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, the Occupied Palestinian Territory & Israel, the Republic of Georgia, Haiti, Ethiopia, Switzerland, and the United States. These experiences have honed her understanding of systemic issues and reinforced her commitment to inclusive, feminist leadership and decolonizing the aid sector through policy and practice.

Maxman’s work spans critical global challenges, from the apartheid era in southern Africa, the HIV/AIDS and Ebola epidemics in sub-Saharan Africa, and chronic food insecurity in Ethiopia. She has been involved in post-genocide relief and recovery efforts in Rwanda, supported civil society organizations in the Republic of Georgia, and led large-scale humanitarian responses in Haiti and Ethiopia. Her leadership has been instrumental in advancing gender and climate justice, fighting inequality, and driving Oxfam America’s ambitious 2030 strategy.

At Oxfam America, Maxman is reshaping the organization to be more representative of the communities it serves. She has supported global governance as Oxfam advances its de-colonial journey, and has invested in fostering an anti-racist culture and preventing sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector. Her approach is deeply values-driven, focusing on systemic change and advocating for justice to address the root causes of poverty and inequality.

Maxman’s leadership extends beyond Oxfam America. During her tenure, she has served as the Chair of the boards of InterAction, and the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response, and as an NGO principal on the UN Inter-Agency Standing Committee. She serves as a Trustee on the board of Frontline AIDS, the Global Executive Leadership Initiative and on the Classy Leadership Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Her contributions reflect a steadfast commitment to collaborative and intersectional approaches to global challenges.

Maxman holds a BA in History and Political Science, a Master’s in International Administration, and several honorary doctorates. She is a mother of three and resides with her husband of thirty years in Boston, continuing her lifelong dedication to global justice and equality.

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