Bono Apologizes as Accusations of Abuse Hit Charity He Co-Founded<br />Ms. Smith said that the organization could not confirm the accusation of attempted sexual coercion<br />and retaliation, which the statement described as “appalling claims.” However, she added, “We do not discount any allegation — we investigate them and will continue to do so should others arise.”<br />The statement said the inquiry had concluded that “the situation was not adequately addressed nor resolved by executive management at the time.”<br />Ms. Smith, who joined the company in 2017, has apologized to all 14 employees who came forward with complaints, Mr. Koski said.<br />The chief executive of ONE, Gayle Smith, said in a statement that the inquiry showed there had been “an institutional failure.”<br />“The investigation yielded evidence of unprofessional conduct and, in particular, what I would characterize as bullying<br />and belittling of staff between late 2011 and 2015 in our Johannesburg office,” the statement said.<br />Bono apologized to the former employees of the charity, ONE, who have detailed on social media<br />and in a British newspaper what they said were demoralizing treatment by managers at their office in the South African capital from late 2011 to 2015.<br />By YONETTE JOSEPHMARCH 11, 2018<br />LONDON — U2’s frontman, Bono, said this weekend he was “furious” after a charity he co-founded was rocked by newly revived accusations<br />that it had fostered in its Johannesburg office an atmosphere of bullying, abuse and, in one case, an attempt at sexual coercion.<br />ONE, which Bono helped found in 2004, has nine million volunteers<br />and staff members around the world: in Abuja, Nigeria; Berlin; Brussels; Johannesburg; London; New York; Ottawa; Paris; and Washington, where the charity has its headquarters.
