Key facts
- Save the Children received an official regulatory warning from the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
- The warning cited management failures and misconduct that put staff at its Yemen office at serious risk.
- The investigation was prompted by the death of safety and security director Hisham al-Hakimi in October 2023 after his detention by Yemeni authorities.
- The commission found weak governance meant staff were not properly safeguarded against live security concerns.
- An internal investigation in 2024 revealed a negative working culture in the Yemen office.
- Save the Children International has since implemented changes, including new leadership and detention risk assessments.
The international aid charity Save the Children has been issued with an official regulatory warning by the Charity Commission for England and Wales over management failures and misconduct that put staff at its Yemen office at serious risk. The warning concluded a two-year investigation into the running of the office, which was prompted by the death of its safety and security director, Hisham al-Hakimi, in October 2023 after he was detained by Yemeni authorities.
The commission stated that weak governance meant staff at the Yemen office were not properly safeguarded in response to what it called a “live security concern,” and that incidents of poor conduct by staff were not addressed. The warning letter referenced "substantial policy breaches and a lack of accountability" at the office, noting that local charity bosses failed to adequately assess and escalate complaints and reports made by whistleblowers.
An internal Save the Children investigation in 2024, following Al-Hakimi's death, found a “negative working culture” in the Yemen office had left staff “disillusioned and marginalised.” The charity apologized to staff, admitting it had failed to properly appreciate the risks they faced amid the deteriorating security situation in the country. Save the Children International said it had made significant changes under new leadership in Yemen since 2024 to strengthen oversight, improve staff support, and rebuild trust, and has closed its north Yemen office due to security concerns. The charity noted that challenges in Yemen meant it may never know the full circumstances around Al-Hakimi’s detention and death. Another Save the Children staff member is reportedly in detention.
Stephen Roake, assistant director for high-risk compliance at the commission, commented on the difficulty of operating in high-risk environments, emphasizing the need for trustees to ensure sufficient oversight of overseas operations. Save the Children International accepted the commission’s findings of serious shortcomings and stated it is committed to learning from the tragedy and ensuring a safe environment for its colleagues, while continuing to work with the commission and support staff in Yemen.