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Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Newsweek
Prince Harry Urged to Quit Charity Where Abuse Allegations Were Upheld
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Prince Harry should "step down" from the board of a conservation charity after a law firm found evidence human rights abuses had taken place. African Parks manages Odzala-Kokoua National Park but the Baka tribespeople, who have lived in the area for generations, say its rangers have abused them. Allegations included the rape of a mother as she clutched her baby, as well as torture, and triggered an investigation by Omnia Strategy. The law firm has now reported its findings to the NGO, which confirmed in an online statement that human rights abuses by guards did take place. Prince Harry is seen at the Concordia Summit, in New York City, on September 23, 2024. During the trip he attended an African Parks event. Prince Harry is seen at the Concordia Summit, in New York City, on September 23, 2024. During the trip he attended an African Parks Mazower, communications director at Survival International, told Newsweek: "We think that Prince Harry and anyone else involved in African Parks should either commit the organization to a completely new way of doing business or step down." Survival wants the organization to pursue conservation in a fundamentally different way. African Parks Acknowledges Abuses The organization's statement, published online, read: "African Parks acknowledges that, in some incidents, human rights abuses have occurred, and we deeply regret the pain and suffering that these have caused to the victims. "Omnia's process also highlighted several failures of our systems and processes that were insufficient for the level of responsibility given to us, particularly in the early years of our management of Odzala. "We are committed to addressing the shortcomings that have been identified. Further, where sufficient evidence is available, we will take action against staff members implicated in incidents not yet known about, or that had not been adequately dealt with. "The Board is confident that the institutional improvements implemented over the past five years, along with those planned for the coming months—incorporating valuable recommendations from Omnia—will mitigate risks in the future." The statement, however, did not confirm which abuses were admitted by the organization, meaning it remains unclear whether they are acknowledging that Baka people were allegedly raped by African Parks guards. "There's a moral obligation on them to make the results of the investigation public," Mazower said, "and I think it's shameful that they haven't." "We would hope that anyone who is funding African Parks will think again," he added. Newsweek reached out to African Parks for comment. African Parks and 'Fortress Conservation' Currently, rangers are required to keep the Baka out of areas of the park that are considered protected, which the tribespeople say prevents them hunting and foraging for food in keeping with their culture dating back centuries. The charity says this is necessary to protect the park as a natural resource for future generations but Survival call it "fortress conservation" and say it is leaving the Baka starving. "It's a whole model of conservation which is based around taking indigenous people's land, turning them into protected areas, evicting the indigenous people and keeping them out through force," Mazower said. "They've been living with this treatment, as have many other indigenous communities, for years and years. This is not a one off thing or an isolated incident. "There have been countless confirmed reports of similar abuses by armed rangers against indigenous people who have been evicted from their lands after their lands were turned into national parks across the Congo basin for years. "You only have to go there and talk to the Baka people and stories start pouring out of people, so I doubt very much that they have any expectation that anything significant will change. And I don't think it will change unless the Baka are allowed to go back to their lands." Prince Harry's New York Visit Harry has not sought to distance himself from the organization since the allegations of rape and torture first emerged publicly in January 2024. In fact, he attended an African Parks event during a visit to New York in September and his staff posted a write up on the Sussex website talking about it. "He [Harry] expressed how this pivotal moment further fueled his commitment to the continent as well as his passion for Africa's rich biodiversity and cultural heritage," the website reads. "The Duke connected African Parks' mission to his broader philanthropic vision, highlighting how their strategic approach aligns with his goals for sustainable change. "He emphasized the importance of collaboration and investment in conservation efforts, noting that protecting Africa's natural resources is essential for both the environment and the livelihoods of local communities. "The event served not only as a celebration of African Parks' impactful work across 22 protected areas in 12 countries but also as a rallying call to join this vital mission. The Duke's participation underscored the urgency of the conservation challenges facing the continent and the need for collective action." Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page. Do you have a question about Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Princess Kate, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@ We'd love to hear from you.
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How DOGE Cuts Are Hitting Small Businesses. Plus: Break The Cycle Of ‘Crunch Mode'
This is this week's ForbesWomen newsletter, which every Thursday brings news about the world's top female entrepreneurs, leaders and investors straight to your inbox. Click here to get on the newsletter list! Over the past month, we at Forbes have reported a lot on the Department of Government Efficiency's job and budget cuts and what it all means for Social Security benefits, postal service operations, aviation safety and more. As the shape of these cuts and their ramifications continues to unfold, one of my many questions has been, 'what does this mean for small business owners who depend on government contracts?' And so, this week I connected with Mary Faith Mount-Cors, the founder and president of EdIntersect, a North Carolina-based company that works with international governments to create early education programs for children around the world. Mount-Cors has successfully built education programs in countries including Mali, Nigeria and Rwanda through USAID and UNICEF contracts, but said that the projects she was working on at the start of the year—in Malawi and Tajikistan—are 'gone' following the Trump administration's slashing of USAID operations. 'We don't know what ways we will be able to recover, but [as] you can imagine [with] any small business: We don't have six months or twelve months of capital just sitting there,' Mount-Cors said, adding that there's a real chance her company faces 'dissolution.' I asked Mount-Cors if private donors and foundations could step in and fill the gaps—after all, the world's top philanthropists can and do deploy tens of billions of dollars every year—and her reply was a measured 'maybe,' because what's at stake is more than just dollars: It's logistical know-how and, more broadly, the ability to execute on diplomacy goals through development. 'Larger foundations, like the Gates Foundation, can maybe step into the breach more if they choose to, but they're still not the U.S. government; they're not going to be playing the same role in building trust and stability between the two countries [involved in these projects],' she said. This summary is really just a snippet of what we touched on, so if you too have been wondering about the effects of DOGE cuts on small businesses, I recommend watching our conversation in full, here. Cheers, Maggie P.S.: A reminder that nominations for the 2025 U.S. 50 Over 50 list are now open! Head to this link here to tell us about a woman you think should be on this year's list. Full nominations criteria are on that page but the two most important bits to remember: We're looking for people who were born in 1974 or earlier, and we're looking for women who have never been on the list before, because we don't allow repeats! NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: U.S. House of Representatives, The Hon. Chrissy Houlahan speaks during the 2024 Concordia Annual Summit at Sheraton New York Times Square on September 23, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Concordia Summit) This week, Representative Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) joined ForbesWomen editor Maggie McGrath to talk about Trump administration cuts to USAID and how these cuts pose risks to female students from Afghanistan studying abroad on USAID-funded scholarships. 'If those young women are sent back [to Afghanistan], it's not only at the detriment of their education and their advancement, but it's also in some cases physically dangerous to them to return to what amounts to an apartheid state for women,' Houlahan said. Click here to watch the full interview. Walter Smith for Forbes Forbes 30 Under 30 alumnae Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg sold TheSkimm—the media company they founded nearly 13 years ago—to Ziff Davis' Everyday Health Group (EHG) earlier this month. The duo is not commenting on the financial terms of the deal but spoke to Forbes contributor Rachel Burchfield about their plans for the company in its new chapter. 'theSkimm will feel very much the same to our audience, but they can anticipate enriched content, particularly in health and wellness,' Zakin says. Genetic testing company 23andMe filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to initiate the process of selling off its assets, while the troubled firm's co-founder Anne Wojcicki—who was attempting to take 23andMe private—stepped down from her role with the intent to become an outside bidder for the asset sale. Five minutes into the USC Trojans' eventual 96-59 win over Mississippi State in the second-round of March Madness, their star shooting guard JuJu Watkins went down with a tear of her right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that will require surgical reconstruction and months of rehabilitation before she can return to the court. It's an injury that's unfortunately all-too familiar among female basketball players—and there's a reason that women suffer from this injury at higher rates than men. Last July, Lattice CEO Sarah Franklin faced blowback when she announced the HR company would create employee records and ratings for artificial intelligence agents. But with the market growing, she's doubling down on the need for AI agents to face performance tracking. A new analysis from job search platform Indeed found that remote work opportunities have declined over 20% from their pandemic peak—and while they still remain more common than pre-pandemic, the decline in remote opportunities could create new challenges for women who want or need flexible work arrangements. 1. Break free from the cycle of crunch mode. Do small breaks feel like a luxury? Do work thoughts keep you up at night? These are some signs that you're trapped in a cycle of too much hustle and stress. Here's how to reset your work style. 2. Disarm office gossip. While studies show that some people think office gossip can foster team building, more professionals feel that it's toxic in the workplace. Here's what you need to know about nipping these harmful conversations in the bud. 3. Avoid job-search burnout. Even the most motivated job seekers start to feel drained after getting ghosted over and over by generic job postings. And here's the kicker: cold applying alone puts the odds squarely against you. The good news? There are smarter, more sustainable strategies to stay energized in your search— and actually get the results you want.
