Bono advocacy group acknowledges pattern of misconduct at office

A nonprofit group co-founded by rock musician Bono acknowledged on Friday a pattern of abusive behavior and misconduct among its leadership at its office in Johannesburg, South Africa.

In a letter posted on the group’s website, ONE Campaign CEO Gayle Smith said that an internal investigation into harassment and abuse allegations revealed an “institutional failure” within the organization. 

“The overall evidence from our investigation was sufficient for me to conclude that we needed to own an institutional failure and ensure that our organization has in place the systems, policies and practices needed so that this never happens again,” she wrote.

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The investigation, Smith said, revealed behavior among ONE’s Johannesburg leadership that she characterized as “bullying and belittling of staff.” One supervisor, the investigation found, had put staff to work on “domestic tasks” in her home.

Smith also said that one former employee alleged that her manager “made sexist and suggestive comments about her to a government official from another country.”

Smith said that the allegations came to her attention in November, when former employees at the Johannesburg office took to social media to share the complaints.

Bono, of U2 fame, was made aware of the allegations in November, according to The Associated Press.