CHILD PROTECTION POLICY –
CARE WORLD
POLICY STATEMENT:CARE WORLD was
founded in 2002, a not-for-profit development organization
that works towards the recognition, promotion, and protection of the rights of all children and
their holistic development. It aims to look at the child in an integrated manner; we work on a
broad range of child rights issues, addressing the overall system and policy framework, with
added focus on specific thematic areas of special importance to children. CARE WORLD’s work is
guided by international human rights principles and national standards which are integrated at
the policy and program levels.
CARE WORLD believes that child rights and
children’s concerns have to be mainstreamed into all
developmental planning and action, and must also become a core developmental indicator. CARE
WORLD believes that the State is the primary duty bearer in the realization of the rights of all
children. Children’s rights must therefore become an integral component of good governance.
CARE WORLD recognizes that all children need to grow up in a protective environment, to carry
forward its mandate, we undertake research and documentation. It is actively engaged in public
education and advocacy for children’s rights. It also seeks to serve as a resource and support
base
for individuals and groups dealing with children at every level.
CARE WORLD’s Child Protection 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 non- negotiable to CARE WORLD, 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 Organisation and law of the land.
Section 1. PURPOSE OF THE
POLICY
- To promulgate and reinforce the organizations commitment for safeguarding children
- To ensure that the safety, care, protection and welfare of the child are imperative to
practice and adopt in whatever we do.
- To provide a protection mechanism to all children covered through the development
initiatives of CARE WORLD
- To establish a standard code of conduct and standard procedures for all staff members
and associates of CARE WORLD to ensure that no harm or abuse is caused to any child.
- To provide a mechanism to ensure all staff members of CARE WORLD and associates are
informed, empowered and self-equipped to ensure safety and protection of children
Section 2. KEY DEFINITIONS
- Child: In the policy, the child is defined as a person up to the age of 18 years.
- Child Abuse: Child abuse is defined as all forms of physical abuse, emotional
illtreatment,sexual abuse and exploitation, neglect or negligent treatment, commercial or
other exploitation of a child and includes any action that result 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
- 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 CARE WORLD would be taking to protect children
from both intentional and unintentionalharm.
- Staff Member of CARE WORLD: Staff member of CARE WORLD would include all
employees on the pay-roll, part time or contractual duty or deputation of CARE WORLD
whether within CARE WORLD office premises or on field duty / project visit or elsewhere.
- Associate of CARE WORLD: This would include all consultants working with CARE WORLD,
all volunteers, interns, tele-callers, agency staff, contractors, vendors and donors
visiting
CARE WORLD offices or work areas. This would also include all staff of CARE WORLD
project partners and all volunteers and interns who would work with children and /or have
access to and are party to CARE WORLD’s program and child data.
- CARE WORLD 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 CARE WORLD -supported children and / or have
access to CARE WORLD’s child sensitive data. This would also include celebrities invited to
CARE WORLD events and program spaces or visiting project offices and areas and coming
into direct contact with children.
- Board of Trustees: This would mean the members of CARE WORLD’s Board of Trustees
- Designate Authority (DA): DA will be the technical focal point/s for this policy.
- Child Protection Task Force (CPTF): A committee formed by the management to
implement the policy and provide support in the awareness and monitoring process of the
policy.
- 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.
Section 3. GUIDING PRINICPLES
- Non-discrimination, valuing and listening to children and treating all children with
respect anddignity.
- Best interests of the child are of prime importance and should guide all decisions made
by CARE WORLD; commitment to protecting children with and for whom we work.
- Meaningful participation of children to encourage them to share their views. CARE WORLD
seeks to create an environment where children feel free to express themselves and
participate in the classroom
Section 4. APPLICABILITY OF THE
POLICY
This policy applies to:
- All staff members of CARE WORLD, whether within CARE WORLD office premises or on
field duty / project visit orelsewhere
- All associates of CARE WORLD within CARE WORLD office premises or on field duty or at
project partner offices and /orelsewhere
- All visitors to CARE WORLD offices
- Board members
Section 5. CODE OF CONDUCT
CARE WORLD staff, associates and visitors MUST:
- Respect the privacy and dignity of every child.
- Make proactive efforts for ensuring safety of children by identifying and managing risks
periodicallyin all spaces accessed by children.
- Be conscious of and sensitive towards making appropriate arrangements for the special
needs ofchildren, particularly physically and mentally challenged children.
- Be sensitive towards children’s age, sex, ethnicity, background, sexuality, religion, etc
- Create / enable an environment where children are respected and encouraged to discuss
their concerns of abuse and rights.
- Handle all sensitive child data and information with adequate care, caution and
confidentiality; to be shared in public only after written permission of a CARE WORLD
authority.
- Always seek informed consent from children and their parents or guardians regarding the
mediumof communication and the purpose, before taking formal interviews, photographs
of / with children or recording videos of their activities and engagement
- Respect the decision of children to say ‘No’ to an image being taken or a video being
recorded.
- 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.
- Ensure that all communication with children should take place within the boundaries of
professionand are in sync with organizational policy.
- Ensure that the language and / or conduct does not give rise to unnecessary speculation or
comment.
- Ensure that children are not exposed to unsuitable material either in print or on the
internet,including material having sexual connotations.
- Be sensitive to the issues of gender and socio-cultural issues.
- Respond and report any situation that might place a child at risk or harm.
- CARE WORLD staff, associates and visitors MUST NOT:
- Abuse any child and put the child at the risk of harm.
- Engage in any behavior to intimidate, bully, humiliate, shame, threaten, coerce or belittle
any child.
- Physically abuse or hit any child or use any form of corporal punishment against any child.
- Engage in any behavior in a manner that is viewed as offensive, sexually provocative, overt
or otherwise.
- Hug, kiss or caress children.
- Shower or bathe with children or assist with any personal care activity that children may be
able to conduct themselves.
- Engage in any form of substance abuse (alcohol/smoking/drugs/tobacco, etc.) in the
presence of the children.
- Disclose the identity and /or personal information of children.
- Display or distribute images of children without informed consent from children and their
parents and appropriate authority of CARE WORLD.
- 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 pre- approved.
- Act in ways that may be abusive or may place a child at risk of abuse.
- Take images /videos ‘in secret’ or in situations that may be viewed as being secretive.
- Pass on gifts to children other than as part of specific programs designed and approved by
CARE WORLD appropriate authority.
- Have social contact with children or their parents through any medium, online or offline,
until unless it is approved by CARE WORLD management.
- Use or access profiles of children on social networking sites, particularly pictures and
photographs of children, unless approved by CARE WORLD appropriate authority.
- Watch pornography in front of children and /or show pornographic images and videos to
children.
- Share their own personal contact details and mobile numbers with children without prior
permission of appropriate authority of the organization.
- Refrain from asking children to undertake personal jobs or errands or asking children to do
tasks that should be done by adults.
- 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 CARE WORLD appropriate authority.
- Patronize any service that employs children.
- Employ any child (as defined in the policy) in any official as well as personal space.
- and other educational environments and opportunities as well as in decisions that affect
their lives
- Zero tolerance towards child abuse.
Section 6: Key Responsibilities
under the Policy
As an Organisation with child rights at the
core of whatever we think, plan and do, we are
committed to applying high standards of behavior towards children. CARE WORLD
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:
Awareness
- Directors / functional heads / program heads/Project holders will ensure that CARE
WORLD representatives are aware of CARE WORLD’s commitment to the prevention of
child abuse and exploitation.
- All CARE WORLD representatives will read, sign, and abide by CARE WORLD’s Child
Protection Policy and Code ofConduct of the policy.
- CARE WORLD management will also ensure the development of standard operating
procedures to ensurethe proper implementation of the policy.
- HR function will ensure that all CARE WORLD representatives have access to a copy of
this Child Protection Policy and Standard Operating Procedures.
- HR function will conduct orientation of all new staff during the induction program.
- CARE WORLD 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.
Prevention
- CARE WORLD’s staff recruitment process will continue to be supported by recruitment
and selection measures that are designed to minimize the risk of recruiting persons who
may pose an unacceptable risk to children.
- CARE WORLD will partner with organizations / associates that agree to comply with child
protection standards at least as high as CARE WORLD’s standards in its operations and
activities.
- CARE WORLD representatives will use best efforts to ensure that children are not put at
risk of abuse or exploitation.
- CARE WORLD 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.
CARE WORLD will limit the identifying information accompanying images of children and
adhere to country laws related to the same.
- CARE WORLD representatives will obey the country 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 Protection Policy,
related standard operating procedures and country protection mechanisms.
- CARE WORLD management will provide suitable guidelines and procedures to meet the
principles mentioned in this policy.
- CARE WORLD management will ensure that local procedures are in place and concerns
are documented and responded as per such procedures.
- CARE WORLD management will ensure that procedures are developed considering the
local laws, obeying the statutory compliances of reporting and responding to child
protection concerns.
- CARE WORLD management will also appoint / depute a Designate Authority (DA) who
will be the technical focal point for this Policy and will work closely with the HR-Director
and in close coordination with CPTF (Child Protection Task Force) to implement the
policy and support the monitoring process.
- CARE WORLD management will also ensure the constitution and empowerment of CPTF
to create awareness in the Organisation. The CPTF will support the management to
instuitionalise the policy at different levels. CPTF can also help technically to report the
incident to the DA/DA’s.
- CARE WORLD staff and associates must update knowledge and information about child
safeguarding and child rights.
- CARE WORLD staff and associates must follow the laws of the country and carry the
intent of the policy outside work also.
Reporting
- CARE WORLD staff and associates will ensure that they are fully aware of CARE WORLD’s
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 CARE WORLD 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 be fully documented in line with CARE
WORLD 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’ only. CARE
WORLD representatives will not disclose any allegation / suspicion of abuse or personal
information of children / families, to the general public unless the disclosures are in
accordance with CARE WORLD policy and procedures or approved by the relevant
authority.
- CARE WORLD representatives will cooperate in the investigation process.
Responding
- CARE WORLD will ensure that action is taken to support and protect children coming in
contact with CARE WORLD 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 of 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 Protection 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 CARE WORLD in accordance with disciplinary procedures. This may result in disciplinary sanctions and / or dismissal of engagement with CARE WORLD.
• Internal investigation will undertake a confidential, thorough, impartial and prompt
process. CARE WORLD 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.
Section 7: AUTHORIZATION & ADMINISTRATION
This policy will be reviewed every 3 years. However, if Care World Leadership feels or meets with any
urgent requirement, then a review may be taken up within this period as well.
Child Protection Task Force (CPTF):
Members with contact detail
- Inayat ullah Khan (Chairman) - Hamdania Colony Chanapora Srinagar, J&K
- Sameena Parveen (Vice-Chairperson) - Hamdania Colony Chanapora Srinagar, J&K
- Sajad Nisar Khan (Secretary) - Hamdania Colony Chanapora Srinagar, J&K
- Waseem Raja (Accountant/ Casher) - Khan Colony Chanapora, J&K
- Fahmeeda Akhter - (Member) Hamdania Colony Chanapora Srinagar, J&K