Unit 2: Identify

2.13 How do organisations define safeguarding?

KAYLA BRITTAN: So, how do we define something like safeguarding here at The Justice Desk? Well, ultimately, it's a part of everything that we do here. We don't really refer to safeguarding as safeguarding were something separate from the work that we do, because it's so ingrained in every project we run, in every person we train. It becomes a part of our being, a part of the foundation of all the work that we do.

But ultimately if we really had to define it, it would be the measures we put in place, the policies we put in place, the implementation of those policies, and the constant relook, and revising, and reviewing, to ensure that we're constantly learning as we go. Ultimately, safeguarding is protecting those that come into our projects.

CLIFFORD ISABELLE: Safeguarding at Oxfam is really important, not just for Oxfam, but for the sector, I think. It's a really important issue that we need to be able to deal with. Essentially, safeguarding for Oxfam is the work that we do to prevent any harm caused by our staff or partners on any of the communities that we work in.

ANANDA KING: MSF define safeguarding through the zero-tolerance policy that responds to abuse, maltreatment, or neglect to any kind towards people. So, when we say people, we mean our staff, the members of the communities we serve, patients, caretakers, partners. That can be local and international.

So, this also means having these people protected and to fulfil our duty of care within our structures and every place where we work and live. And additionally, we make complain channels available to people. And we attend to all the complaints we receive. All these accompanied by provincial campaigns. So, I would like to give some examples of safeguarding within MSF.

An example of abuse could be an abuse of people against the patient in an MSF health structure. An example of discrimination could be discriminating a woman during the recruitment process to her own detriment and favouring a man. And a last example would be of harassment against a community member, for instance.

PAULAMI DE SARKAR: Safeguarding in our organisation means that taking all reasonable steps to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse, sexual harassment, and other forms of harms from occurring. To protect people and children, adults from that harm. To respond immediately and appropriately when harm does occur, and it addresses harm that may be caused by a staff member, volunteer, or any associate, or the organisation's operation and programmes.

It includes a safe recruitment of the staff, consultant, vendors, providing regular trainings to the staff or associates to equip them with necessary information and skills, to ensure safe operations and programming. To identify concern and respond in suitable manner. Raising awareness in the communities on safeguarding policies in terms of contents, expected behaviour from the staff, and reporting procedure for concerns.

NOAH SSEMPIJJA: Safeguarding is ensuring that you don't pose any kind of harm or pain or to the people that you are working with, be it staff, be it beneficiaries, be it partner organisations, or partners that you work with. So that's basically how we do defensive grading at Opportunity International.

Watch the video above.

You will hear the views of different Safeguarding Leads, who talk about the definitions of ‘safeguarding’ children and vulnerable adults that are adopted by different organisations.

Activity 2.7 Safeguarding scenarios

In order to help you consolidate your knowledge on how different forms of harm are manifested, you will now work through some anonymised scenarios where you can identify safeguarding concerns and the different forms of harm.

Read these short scenarios and then answer the questions that follow:

The cook who works for NGO X throws hot water on a child who he suspects has been stealing food from the cupboard.
The programme manager of NGO X intentionally does not invite her programme officer to a team meeting.
The aid worker of NGO X sends sexually explicit messages on social media to a colleague who refused to go out with him.
The finance officer of NGO X has been talking to teenagers on the internet asking them to send him photos of themselves.

Answer these questions for each of the scenarios:

Who is at risk of harm?
Who caused this harm?
What different forms of harm (from the earlier list that you have) can you identify in the case study?
Why does harm occur?
What is the impact of harm?

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Some of the answer to the questions for each of the scenarios are in the responses below but you may have identified other things:

Scenario 1

Child and anyone else nearby from hot boiling water.
The cook working for NGO X.
Physical and emotional abuse when he threw the hot water. Possible neglect as the child is hungry.
The cook has exercised his power as the older person and his position in the kitchen in using something harmful such as hot water to discipline a child based on the assumption that the child is stealing.
Serious burns on the child. The child could be traumatised by the experience. Loss of trust in adults and fear.

Scenario 2

The programme officer. Also, other team members since they would be left wondering why their team member is not with them at the meeting.
The programme manager of NGO X.
Potentially discrimination, emotional abuse and workplace bullying.
The programme manager is in a higher position of power then the programme officer and has exercised by internationally side-lining a junior member of staff.
The programme officer could feel hurt, angry, upset, all of which can affect their confidence and their mental health.

Scenario 3

The colleague receiving messages. Potentially other staff and personnel as well if he chooses to contact them to go out with him.
The male aid worker of NGO X.
Sexual harassment, emotional abuse and workplace bullying.
It looks like they are peers; however, the colleague sending messages is male, and he is abusing and misusing his position over another colleague.
The impact of his actions could make the programme officer feel unsafe and uncomfortable in the workspace, feeling fearful and untrusting of other colleagues and even affect her mental health.

Scenario 4

The children using a chat function on the internet. Potentially all other children as well.
The finance officer of NGO X.
Sexual grooming of teenagers (who are children) on the internet by enticing them to send him photos of themselves, potentially leading to sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children.
He is in a position of power by working as an aid worker for an NGO and has access to resources such as technology to use to make inappropriate relationships with those under the age of 18.
The impact of this can be very serious as he gets the children to trust him by sending him photos of themselves. These images can be edited and imposed on other people’s bodies, or he could ask these children to pose for him with little clothing or in suggestive ways. He could use this for his own sexual gratification, or he could upload it on the internet on child pornographic sites to sell.