Mothers of Africa is a charitable Association, registered in Monaco. Below you will find the Association’s Safeguarding Policy which is required to be implemented by all directly identified personnel and associated personnel (as per each adopted project) in all projects as agreed for action by the board of the Association Mothers of Africa. See detail below.
Scope of the policy.
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All persons working under the Monaco Association umbrella known as ‘Mothers of Africa’, as per website https://www.mothersofafricacharity.org/mothers-of-africa Please note, no person is employed by Mothers of Africa, everyone is a volunteer, and no person receives any remuneration.
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Associated personnel whilst engaged with work or visits related to Mothers of Africa, including but not limited to the following: consultants; volunteers; contractors; programme visitors including journalists, celebrities, and politicians.
Hereafter categories a and b above shall be addressed by the single word ‘personnel’.
Purpose of the policy.
The purpose of this policy is to protect all people, particularly women, girls, boys and at-risk adults and project participants, from any harm that may be caused due to their coming into contact with Mothers of Africa personnel and projects. This includes harm arising from:
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the conduct of personnel associated with Mothers of Africa.
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the design and implementation of Mothers of Africa’s programmes and activities.
The policy lays out the commitments made by Mothers of Africa, and informs all personnel of their responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. This policy does not cover safeguarding concerns in any wider community not associated with Mothers of Africa projects or personnel with Mothers of Africa..
What is safeguarding?
Safeguarding means preventing and protecting children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect and educating those around them to recognise the signs and dangers. Safeguarding also means protecting peoples' health, wellbeing, and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect.
In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at-risk adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff or programmes. If we are safeguarding it means we are taking all reasonable steps to prevent harm, particularly sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.
This definition draws from our values and principles and shapes our culture. It pays specific attention to preventing and responding to harm from any potential, actual or attempted abuse of power, trust, or vulnerability, especially for sexual purposes.
Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across our programmes, partners, and personnel. It requires proactively identifying, preventing, and guarding against all risks of harm, exploitation and abuse and having mature, accountable, and transparent systems for a response, reporting and learning when risks materialise. Those systems must be survivor-centered and also protect those accused until proven guilty.
Policy Statement. The Pillars of Safeguarding.
Mothers of Africa believes that everyone we come into contact with, regardless of sex, age, gender (or gender reassignment), disability, sexual orientation, race, religion, or ethnic origin has the right to be protected from all forms of harm, abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Mothers of Africa will not tolerate abuse and exploitation by our directly identified personnel or any additional associated personnel.
Safeguarding puts beneficiaries and affected persons at the centre of all we do.
Mothers of Africa commits to addressing safeguarding throughout its work, through the three pillars of prevention, reporting, and response.
Pillar 1: Prevention
Mothers of Africa will:
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Ensure all staff have access to, are familiar with, and know their responsibilities within this policy.
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Design and undertake all its programmes and activities in a way that protects people from any risk of harm that may arise from their coming into contact with Mothers of Africa. This includes the way in which information about individuals in our programmes is gathered and communicated.
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Implement stringent safeguarding procedures when recruiting, managing, and deploying staff and associated personnel.
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Ensure staff receive training on safeguarding at a level commensurate with their role in the organisation.
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Follow up on reports of safeguarding concerns promptly and according to due process.
Personnel responsibilities
All Mothers of Africa personnel, grant recipients and partners are prohibited from engaging in the following harmful behaviour, including but not limited to:
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any behaviour or activity that could amount to sexual exploitation and abuse.
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sexual activity with children (persons under the age of 18) regardless of the age of majority or age of consent locally. Mistaken belief regarding the age of a child is not a defence.
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exchange of money, employment, goods, or services for sex, including sexual favours or other forms of humiliating, degrading, or exploitative behaviour.
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any other activity that is intended to cause physical or emotional harm, humiliation, or exploitation to any individual.
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any activity, practice or behaviour that suggest staff, grant recipients or partners have abused their position of power and is engaging any individual based on inherently unequal power dynamics.
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sexual relationships between staff, grant recipients, partners and any individuals that are based on unequal power dynamics are strongly discouraged since they may undermine the credibility and integrity of the work of Mothers of Africa.
Pillar 2: Enabling Reports.
Mothers of Africa will ensure that safe, appropriate, accessible means of reporting safeguarding concerns are made available to staff and the communities we work with.
Any staff reporting concerns or complaints will be protected by Mothers of Africa’s requirement of Disclosure of Malpractice in the Workplace.
Mothers of Africa will also accept complaints from external sources such as members of the public, partners, and official bodies.
How to report a safeguarding concern
Staff members who have a complaint or concern relating to safeguarding should report it immediately to their Safeguarding Focal Person. If the staff member does not feel comfortable reporting to their Safeguarding Focal Person (for example if they feel that the report will not be taken seriously, or if that person is implicated in the concern) they may report to any other appropriate member of Mothers of Africa.
Focal Person Contact Details Monaco:
Ms Vicky O’Shea oshea.iv124@gmail.com +33 6 62 15 78 59
Focal Person Contact Details Zambia:
Dr Job Mwanza jobmwanza2002@yahoo.com +260977651135
Focal Person Contact Details in Namibia:
Professor Judith Hall jhall@unam.na +264 7301723
Pillar 3: Response.
Mothers of Africa will follow up all safeguarding reports and concerns.
Mothers of Africa will apply appropriate disciplinary measures to staff found in breach of acceptable behaviour.
Mothers of Africa will offer support to survivors of harm caused by personnel, regardless of whether a formal internal response is carried out (such as an internal investigation). Decisions regarding support will be led by the survivor. Where the survivor is a child or otherwise unable to make decisions, support will be provided by an appropriate guardian or carer.
Confidentiality
It is essential that confidentiality is maintained at all stages of the process when dealing with safeguarding concerns. Information relating to the concern and subsequent management should be shared on a need to know basis only and should be kept secure at all times.
Glossary of Terms
Project participant
Someone who directly receives goods or services from Mothers of Africa programme. Note that misuse of power can also apply to the wider community that the NGO serves, and also can include exploitation by giving the perception of being in a position of power.
Child
A person below the age of 18.
Child at risk
This describes an individual under the age of 18 years who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse, neglect or other kinds of harm; and who has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs).
Harm
Psychological, physical and any other infringement of an individual’s rights.
Psychological harm
Emotional or psychological abuse, including (but not limited to) humiliating and degrading treatment such as bad name-calling, constant criticism, belittling, persistent shaming, solitary confinement, and isolation.
Abuse
This describes physical, sexual, psychological, emotional, or financial abuse (and includes abuse taking place in any setting, whether in a private dwelling, an institution or any other place). Social Services and Well-being Act 2014, Wales.
Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA)
The term used by the humanitarian and development community to refer to the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse of affected populations by staff or associated personnel. The term derives from the United Nations Secretary General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13).
Safeguarding
Safeguarding means preventing and protecting children and adults at risk from abuse or neglect and educating those around them to recognise the signs and dangers. Safeguarding also means protecting peoples' health, wellbeing, and human rights, and enabling them to live free from harm, abuse, and neglect.
In our sector, we understand it to mean protecting people, including children and at-risk adults, from harm that arises from coming into contact with our staff or programmes.
If we are safeguarding it means we are taking all reasonable steps to prevent harm, particularly sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment from occurring; to protect people, especially vulnerable adults and children, from that harm; and to respond appropriately when harm does occur.
This definition draws from our values and principles and shapes our culture. It pays specific attention to preventing and responding to harm from any potential, actual or attempted abuse of power, trust, or vulnerability, especially for sexual purposes.
Safeguarding applies consistently and without exception across our programmes, partners, and personnel. It requires proactively identifying, preventing, and guarding against all risks of harm, exploitation and abuse and having mature, accountable, and transparent systems for a response, reporting and learning when risks materialise. Those systems must be survivor-centred and also protect those accused until proven guilty.
Sexual abuse
The term ‘sexual abuse’ means the actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.
Sexual exploitation
The term ‘sexual exploitation’ means any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another. This definition includes human trafficking and modern slavery.
Survivor
The person who has been abused or exploited. The term ‘survivor’ is often used in preference to ‘victim’ as it implies strength, resilience, and the capacity to survive, however, it is the individual’s choice how they wish to identify themselves.
Adult at risk
Sometimes also referred to as a vulnerable adult.
Describes anyone over 18 years of age who is experiencing or is at risk of abuse or neglect and has needs for care and support (whether or not the authority is meeting any of those needs), and as a result of those needs is unable to protect himself or herself against the abuse or neglect or the risk of it.
Judith Hall on behalf of all Mothers of Africa Core Personnel.
21st December 2024
https://www.mothersofafricacharity.org/mothers-of-africa