Safeguarding

Since the media disclosure of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) cases by humanitarian actors in February 2018, attempts across the sector to address the issue and increase protection against SEA have multiplied.

PSEA cuts across the issues of gender, protection, accountability, localization, power dynamics, faith and culture, and the nexus.

ICVA and members organisations reaffirmed their accountability towards affected populations, partners, supporters and public at large at the 2018 ICVA General Assembly. The Commitment and Motion to Action on PSEA and Sexual Harassment also mandates the Secretariat to document and voice the PSEA work, challenges and good practices existing among members and identify recommendations to feed efforts at international, regional and national level.

ICVA recognises the need to ensure that safeguarding is incorporated into every aspect of an organisation’s process and operations, from the support of the Board and the Executive Director to the programmes and partnerships on the ground.  This is reflected in ICVA’s policy on PSEA.

The framing of ICVA’s response on not just the technical but also the cultural, root causes and political dimensions contributes to solutions-orientated reflections. ICVA is a critical and constructive voice of the new polices and their impact on resourcing and capacity building of smaller organisations.  Our two publications “The Long Run to Protection Against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse”  which shares the experiences of ICVA members on PSEA, and our discussion paper on “Humanitarian Ombudsperson” also contribute to the debates.

In  February 2020, ICVA  partnered with UNHCR to launch the Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment community outreach and communication fund (PSEA Outreach Fund).

The Fund provides rapid, targeted financial support to NGOs to develop and disseminate PSEA outreach and communications materials, to strengthen community awareness of PSEA issues and reporting channels.  The materials will be available to all IASC members for further use or adaptation.

The Fund aims to support the critical work that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) do every day to ensure that people we serve are fully aware that humanitarian assistance is never conditional on any transaction or exchange of any kind and to prevent situations of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA).

The Fund also invests in community-led efforts to help ensure that victims/survivors know how and where to safely report SEA, which is vital to respond to these unacceptable abuses in a timely and survivor-centered manner. It is rooted in the recognition that local capacities and expertise, including affected communities themselves, are essential to effectively reinforce protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.

In 2020, 19 NGOs were supported through the Fund. Many of the grant applications feature innovative approaches to mitigate the specific risks and operational challenges posed by Covid-19. The projects are all firmly grounded in consultation with affected people, and strengthen community awareness.

In 2021, 15 NGOs drawn from all over the world benefitted from the Fund. You can now access all the deliverables created through the PSEA Fund projects on the Deliverables Database.

In 2022, 15 NGOs were supported through the Fund. 

ICVA Secretariat has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. We believe all people have a right to live their lives free from sexual violence. We recognise that there are unequal power dynamics across and within the humanitarian sector and in relation to those we serve, and that we face an inherent risk of some employees, volunteers or consultants exploiting their position of power for personal gain.

ICVA Secretariat and its members will not tolerate its employees, volunteers, consultants, partners or any other representatives associated with the delivery of our work carrying out any form of sexual harassment, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation. Our commitment to reporting, investigating, and preventing misconducts is driven by our values and commitment to root out abuse.

ICVA Secretariat staff and associates have signed up to the ICVA organizational safeguarding policies.

ICVA ensures accessible, safe and responsive mechanisms to receive and record complaints and reports.

A complaint/report form is available for reporting and communication on alleged misconduct.

All Complaints & Reports are duly and timely addressed, and safeguards are in place to ensure full respect for the rights of all those involved, especially alleged victims.

Any complaint against ICVA Staff & Associates is addressed in full confidentiality to ICVA Chief Operating Officer, Susan Wilding (susan.wilding@icvanetwork.org). When concerns exist on how the allegations would be managed, the Complaint should be addressed to the ICVA Board HR Focal Point, Reiseal Ní Cheilleachair (reiseal.nicheilleachair@concern.net).

The reporting system forms part of the commitments, to provide clear pathways and parameters for reporting and communicating information related to misconduct appropriately and responsibly.

• Regional hubs periodically bring together humanitarian practitioners to critically analyse collective practice around the quality of services and accountability to affected populations.
• Members are encouraged to have systems in place.

• In 2007, ICVA hosted the Building Safer Organisations project which was one of the earliest attempts to address PSEA in the humanitarian sector. The Building Safer Organisations Handbook contains training materials on receiving and investigating allegations of abuse and exploitation by humanitarian workers.

ICVA has signed up to the “Disclosure of Misconduct Scheme”. This inter-agency scheme, led by the Steering Committee on Humanitarian Response (SCHR), establishes a minimum standard for humanitarian, development and other civil society organisations to share information as part of their recruitment process about people who have been found to have committed sexual harassment, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation during employment.

Documents related to this scheme can be found below. Contributing to this scheme is part of our commitment to prevent and address abuse in the humanitarian sector.