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International Rescue Foundation Safety Policy for Child rights

POLICY STATEMENT:  IRF believes that every child has a right to a happy, healthy and creative childhood. We believe in enabling people to pledge their unique strengths and commitments to secure, protect and honor the rights of children.  

As a child rights organization, IRF – Child Rights and You, is committed to the principle that all children, regardless of all dimensions and layers of discrimination, are entitled to their rights as defined by the United Nations Convention of Child Rights (UNCRC) Charter and the Constitution of India, including an equal right to protection from all kinds of abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect.  

THE IRF Child Safeguarding Policy stands for its commitment and responsibilities towards safeguarding children and to protect them from all kinds of harm and abuse, keeping the best interest of the child in perspective. It also makes clear that any form of harm and abuse of children is unacceptable and nonnegotiable to IRF, and any violation of the policy, whether intentional or unintentional, will invite appropriate disciplinary action and judicial procedures as per this policy, other related policies of the organization and law of the land. 

Policy for Child rights

Purpose of the Policy

1. To promulgate and reinforce the organization’s commitment for safeguarding children  

2. To ensure that the safety, care, protection and welfare of the child are imperative to practice and adopt in whatever we do. 

3. To provide a protection mechanism to all children covered through the development initiatives of the international rescue foundation

4. To establish a standard code of conduct and standard procedures for all staff members and associates of The International Rescue Foundation to ensure that no harm or abuse is caused to any child.  

5. To provide a mechanism to ensure all staff members of The International Rescue foundation and associates are informed, empowered and self-equipped to ensure safety and protection of children  

Key Definitions

1. Child: In the policy, the child is defined as a person up to the age of 18 years.  

2. Child Abuse: Child abuse is defined as all forms of physical abuse, emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect or negligent treatment, commercial or other exploitation of a child and includes any action that results in actual or potential harm to a child. Child abuse may be a deliberate act, or it may be failing to act to prevent harm. Child abuse consists of anything which individuals, institutions or processes do or fail to do, intentionally or unintentionally, which harms a child or damages their prospect of safe and healthy development.  

3. Child Protection: Child protection is the protection of children from any violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Within the ambit of this policy, it would mean the measures, activities and safeguards that The IRF would be taking to protect children from both intentional and unintentional harm.  

4. Staff Member of IRF: Staff member of IRF would include all employees on the payroll, part time or contractual duty or deputation of IRF whether within IRF office premises or on field duty / project visit or elsewhere.  

5. Associate of IRF: This would include all consultants working with IRF, all volunteers, interns, tele-callers, agency staff, contractors, vendors and donors visiting IRF offices or work areas. This would also include all staff of IRF project partners and all volunteers and interns who would work with children and /or have access to and are party to IRF program and child data.  

6. IRF Visitors: This would include representatives of local governments, journalists, print and online media, agencies and contractors, donors and visitors who would come into direct contact with IRF-supported children and / or have access to IRF child sensitive data. This would also include celebrities invited to IRF events and program spaces or visiting project offices and areas and coming into direct contact with children.  

7. Board of Trustees: This would mean the members of IRF Board of Trustees. 

8. Designate Authority (DA): DA will be the technical focal point/s for this policy.  

9. Informed Consent: It is the decision, which must be written, dated and signed, to take part in any activity, taken freely after being duly informed of its nature, significance, implications and risks and appropriately documented, by any person capable of giving consent or, where the person is not capable of giving consent, by his or her legal representative; if the person concerned is unable to write, oral consent in the presence of at least one witness may be given in exceptional cases, as provided for in national legislation. 

Guiding Prinicples

1. Non-discrimination, valuing and listening to children and treating all children with respect and dignity. 

2. Best interests of the child are of prime importance and should guide all decisions made by IRF commitment to protecting children with and for whom we work.  

3. Meaningful participation of children to encourage them to share their views. IRF seeks to create an environment where children feel free to express themselves and participate in the classroom and other educational environments and opportunities as well as in decisions that affect their lives. 

4. Zero tolerance towards child abuse.  

Applicability of the Policy

This policy applies to: 

1. All staff members of IRF, whether within IRF office premises or on field duty / project visit or elsewhere 

2. All associates of IRF within IRF office premises or on field duty or at project partner offices and /or elsewhere  

3. All visitors to IRF offices  

4. Board members 

Code of Conduct

IRF staff, associates and visitors MUST: 

1. Respect the privacy and dignity of every child. 

2. Make proactive efforts for ensuring safety of children by identifying and managing risks periodically in all spaces accessed by children. 

3. Be conscious of and sensitive towards making appropriate arrangements for the special needs of children, particularly physically and mentally challenged children. 

4. Be sensitive towards children’s age, sex, ethnicity, background, sexuality, religion, etc. 

5. Create / enable an environment where children are respected and encouraged to discuss their concerns of abuse and rights. 

6. Handle all sensitive child data and information with adequate care, caution and confidentiality; to be shared in public only after written permission of an IRF authority. 

7. Always seek informed consent from children and their parents or guardians regarding the medium of communication and the purpose, before taking formal interviews, photographs of / with children or recording videos of their activities and engagement.  

8. Respect the decision of children to say ‘No’ to an image being taken or a video being recorded.  

9. Ensure that all images / videos taken of children are respectful of their dignity – all children must be clothed adequately for images and videos with their private body parts covered appropriately. 

10. Ensure that all communication with children should take place within the boundaries of profession and are in sync with organizational policy.  

11. Ensure that the language and / or conduct does not give rise to unnecessary speculation or comment.  

12. Ensure that children are not exposed to unsuitable material either in print or on the internet, including material having sexual connotations. 

13. Be sensitive to the issues of gender and socio-cultural issues.   

14. Respond and report any situation that might place a child at risk or harm. 

 IRF staff, associates and visitors MUST NOT: 

1. Abuse any child and put the child at the risk of harm. 

2. Engage in any behavior to intimidate, bully, humiliate, shame, threaten, coerce or belittle any child.  

3. Physically abuse or hit any child or use any form of corporal punishment against any child. 

4. Engage in any behavior in a manner that is viewed as offensive, sexually provocative, overt or otherwise. 

5. Hug, kiss or caress children.  

6. Shower or bathe with children or assist with any personal care activity that children may be able to conduct themselves. 

7. Engage in any form of substance abuse (alcohol/smoking/drugs/tobacco, etc) in the presence of the children.  

8. Disclose the identity and /or personal information of children.  

9. Display or distribute images of children without informed consent from children and their parents and appropriate authority of IRF.  

10. Stigmatize or discriminate against a child or show differential treatment to some children to the exclusion of others. Taking views of specific children, like during any research study, must be preapproved.   

11. Act in ways that may be abusive or may place a child at risk of abuse. 

12. Take images /videos / secret’ or in situations that may be viewed as being secretive.  

13. Pass on gifts to children other than as part of specific programs designed and approved by IRF appropriate authority.   

14. Have social contact with children or their parents through any medium, online or offline, until OR unless it is approved by IRF management. 

15. Use or access profiles of children on social networking sites, particularly pictures and photographs of children, unless approved by IRF appropriate authority. 

16. Watch pornography in front of children and /or show pornographic images and videos to children.  

17. Share their own personal contact details and mobile numbers with children without prior permission of appropriate authority of the organization. 

18. Refrain from asking children to undertake personal jobs or errands or asking children to do tasks that should be done by adults. 

19. Take children to their home/ residence or any other private space for the day or night and /or share a room with a child alone. Any emergency accommodation like medical attention must be approved by IRF appropriate authority. 

20. Patronize any service that employs children. 

21. Employ any child (as defined in the policy) in any official as well as personal space.

Key Responsibilities Under the Policy

As an organization with child rights at the core of whatever we think, plan and do, we are committed to applying high standards of behavior towards children. IRF representatives will meet its commitment to protect children from any harm, abuse, neglect and exploitation through fulfilment of their responsibilities and the following measures, but not limited to: 

 1. Awareness

• Directors / functional heads / program heads will ensure that IRF representatives are aware of IRF commitment to the prevention of child abuse and exploitation. 

• All IRF representatives will read, sign, and abide by IRF Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct of the policy. 

•  IRF management will also ensure the development of standard operating procedures to ensure the proper implementation of the policy.  

• HR will ensure that all IRF representatives have access to a copy of this Child Safeguarding Policy and Standard Operating Procedures. 

• HR function will conduct orientation of all new staff during the induction program. 

• IRF Representatives will be aware that breach of this policy or the Child Protection Code of Conduct constitutes an act of misconduct and is grounds for disciplinary action and / or termination of employment or engagement.   

2. Prevention

• IRF staff recruitment process will continue to be supported by recruitment and selection measures that are designed to minimize the risk of recruiting people who may pose an unacceptable risk to children. 

• IRF will partner with organizations / associates that agree to comply with child protection standards at least as high as IRF’s standards in its operations and activities. 

• IRF representatives will use best efforts to ensure that children are not at risk of abuse or exploitation. 

• IRF will ensure informed consent from children (parents or guardian in case of young children), parents or care givers / guardian before taking images (photo/videos etc.) and present children in a dignified and respectful manner rather vulnerable, sexually suggestive, submissive or impacting their privacy negatively.  They’ll also respect the children’s decision to say ‘No’ to an image being taken.   

• Case studies, stories and images of children should be based on the child’s best interest. IRF will limit the identifying information accompanying images of children and adhere to country laws related to the same.  

• IRF representatives will obey the country’s laws, with attaining high standards towards laws relating to children in professional as well as personal lives in order to maintain the reputation of the organization as child safe organization.  

• Staff will also empower themselves by understanding the Child Safeguarding Policy, related standard operating procedures and country protection mechanisms. 

• IRF management will provide suitable guidelines and procedures to meet the principles mentioned in this policy. 

• IRF management will ensure that local procedures are in place and concerns are documented and responded to as per such procedures. 

• IRF management will ensure that procedures are developed considering the local laws, obeying the statutory compliances of reporting and responding to child protection concerns.  

• IRF management will also appoint / deputy a Designate Authority (DA) who will be the technical focal point for this Policy and will work closely with the HR-Director to implement the policy and support the monitoring process. 

• IRF staff and associates must update knowledge and information about child safeguarding and child rights 

• IRF staff and associates must follow the laws of the country and carry the intent of the policy outside work also. 

 3. Reporting  

• IRF staff and associates will ensure that they are fully aware of IRF standard reporting requirements in the event of suspicion or allegations of child abuse or exploitation, for any internal and external incident of abuse. 

• Reporting any abuse is mandatory and IRF representatives should report as soon as possible and within 24 hours of learning of or witnessing the alleged abuse or exploitation, by anyone coming in the scope of the policy or by anyone while implementing / supporting any activity with children (directly or indirectly) primarily to the DA/DAs and Human Resources Director, Chief Executive Officer, or any other body / channel informed as per standard operating procedure.  

• As part of reporting, the suspicion and allegation are fully documented in line with IRF standard operating procedures on reporting and as per prescribed templates, including the time, place and any witnesses to the alleged abuse or exploitation.  

• Confidentiality is crucial to a fair and effective reporting procedure hence the allegations, updates and follow-ups will be shared on ‘need to know basis’s only. IRF representatives will not disclose any allegation / suspicion of abuse or personal information of children / families, to the public unless the disclosures are in accordance with IRF policy and procedures or approved by the relevant authority. 

• C IRF RY representatives will cooperate in the investigation process. 

4. Responding

• IRF will ensure that action is taken to support and protect children encountering IRF where concerns arise regarding child abuse or exploitation.  

• The first response to address the complaint should come as soon as possible and within 48 hours of reporting the incident. 

• When child abuse or exploitation is reported, an appropriate investigation process will be followed and conducted as approved by DA/DAs, HR focal point and CEO – who may construct a team and may consult with legal operations and / or the authorities if appropriate and steer the investigation process accordingly. 

• Adherence to the Child Safeguarding Policy is mandatory and any breach of this policy or procedures will be investigated under this policy either by consideration of referral to statutory authorities for criminal investigation under the law of the country in which they work and / or by IRF in accordance with disciplinary procedures. This may result in disciplinary sanctions and / or dismissal of engagement with IRF.     

• Internal investigation will undertake a confidential, thorough, impartial and prompt process. IRF will not tolerate any form of coercion, intimidation, reprisal or retaliation against anyone who reports any form of abuse or exploitation, provides any information or other assistance in an investigation. 

Authorization & Administration

This policy will be administered by the HR function. Any questions regarding this policy should be referred to the human resources Department and DA/DAs (Child Protection Focal Point). 

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years. However, if IRF Leadership feels or meets with any sense of urgent requirement, then a review may be taken up within this period as well.  

 

Authorization & Administration

This policy will be administered by the HR function. Any questions regarding this policy should be referred to the human resources Department and DA/DAs (Child Protection Focal Point). 

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years. However, if IRF Leadership feels or meets with any sense of urgent requirement, then a review may be taken up within this period as well.