Child Protection and Ssafeguarding Policy

1. Forward

This policy has been developed after the observation and while working on the protection and
the rights of children to recognize that child protection should be ensured in any organization
which is working for the betterment and welfare of children. This policy would be helpful to train
all Gogh workers, teachers, facilitators and volunteers for being an accountable and responsible
for child protection wherever they are working with children. This document will serve to raise
awareness about every form of abuse, to provide advocacy, to empower community to protect
them.

2. Background:

ECI believes that every child is precious and particularly a child oppressed and vulnerable is
respectful. Children those are suffering for social justice, rights exploitation and violence need
attention. ECI wants to ensure to implement child protection in their surroundings and in their
working areas. The purpose of this document will serve to achieve the objective to put into
practice every objective of this document.

3. Why we need Child Protection?

To implement child protection in ECI is to make sure that every child is safe in our working
environment. Every abuse against children will be taken seriously, and action will be taken
immediately. We believe that this is our legal, ethical and moral responsibility to response
against abuse. Every child has a right to have safe and sound surrounding and every worker of
the ECI also has responsibility to create safe environment for the children.

4. Who are accountable to the policy?

This document is applicable for every staff of ECI, volunteers, teachers, monitoring staff and
facilitators, and all of those who are directly and indirectly involve with children.

5.
[2.] Empowerment thru Creative Integration (ECI) is a renowned ISO 9001:2015 certified
consultancy firm with a rich legacy spanning over 33 years since its establishment in
1989. With a mission to foster socio-economic transformation, ECI is dedicated to
enhancing the capacities of individuals, institutes, and communities, nurturing them
into responsible, empowered, and globally engaged citizens. As national leaders in
the development sector, ECI specializes in strategic planning, institutional
development, project design and implementation, and research and evaluation across
seven thematic areas of expertise.
[3.] Vision statement:
[4.] We seek a world where institutions communities and individuals are more
empowered and poverty inequality and discrimination has been overcome.
[5.] Mission:
[6.] sustainable socio economic change through capacity development initiatives for
empowering individuals, institutions and communities.
[7.] Scope of the Child Protection and safeguarding Policy:

ECI’s Child protection policy is developed to ensure child protection and safeguarding from all
aspects, and the policy will apply to the entire ECI volunteers, staff, workers, teachers,
facilitators and authorities. All will be orientating and sign code of conduct therefore they will be
accountable for their conduct.

5.1 Underlying Principles:

In order to align with international commitments, Following following principles are having been
taken from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

1. Everyone is a child who is under 18 years of age.

2. Each child has a fundamental right to life, survival and development.
3. Children have right to be protected from any danger.
4. All children have right to be protected from sexual abuse.
5. Every child has a right to be protected from any other kind of exploitation.
6. Children have a not to be punished in a cruel or hurtful way.
7. Every child has right to be helped if have been hurt, neglected or badly treated.
8. Every child has a right to not be discriminate on basis of race, gender and disability.
9. Everybody has a responsibility to support the care and protection of children.

10. ECI has a special concern for every child who is under its care around working environment.
11. ECI assured that every child who is in touched with our organization will not be
discriminated on the basis of gender, religion, identity, socio economic status, race, belief,
cultural background. Each child will be treated with respect and care.
5.2

Child Protection and safeguarding Policy

Forward

This policy has been developed after the observation and while working on the protection and
the rights of children to recognize that child protection should be ensured in any organization
which is working for the betterment and welfare of children. This policy would be helpful to train
all Gogh workers, teachers, facilitators and volunteers for being an accountable and responsible
for child protection wherever they are working with children. This document will serve to raise
awareness about every form of abuse, to provide advocacy, to empower community to protect
them.

Our Objectives:

o To identify situations where children are not safe.

o To train all ECI workers to protect children and to develop system to address this issue.
o To educate community to create safe environment for children
o Background:
ECI believes that every child is precious and particularly a child oppressed and vulnerable is
respectful. Children those are suffering for social justice, rights exploitation and violence need
attention. ECI wants to ensure to implement child protection in their surroundings and in their
working areas. The purpose of this document will serve to achieve the objective to put into
practice every objective of this document.
Why we need Child Protection?
To implement child protection in ECI is to make sure that every child is safe in our working
environment. Every abuse against children will be taken serious, and action will be taken
immediately. We believe that this is our legal, ethical and moral responsibility to response
against abuse. Every child has a right to have safe and sound surrounding and every worker of
the ECI also has responsibility to create safe environment for the children.
Who are accountable to the policy?
This document is applicable for every staff of ECI, volunteers, teachers, monitoring staff and
facilitators, and all of those who are directly and indirectly involve with children.

5.3 Child Protection:

According to Merriam Webster protection is something that keeps a person or thing from being
harmed, lost, etc. child protection is not only protecting a child from any form of abuse but also
taking responsibility to save them and their rights.

5.4 Definition of a Child:

UNCRC defines a 'child' as a person below the age of 18.

According to Pakistan policy a child is who under 14 years of age is a child.

5.6 Child Abuse:

Child Abuse is a general term used for situations where the child may experience harm. This
harm could be physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual and in neglect form. Abuse is normally
categorized into few main forms - physical, sexual, emotional, spiritual and neglect.

5.7 Types of Abuse:

 Physical Abuse
 Neglect
 Emotional/ psychological Abuse
 Sexual Abuse

5.8 Education, Training and Awareness:

o ECI will train their team for child protection and its policy.
o Guidelines will be provided to the team, employees, volunteers and facilitators or anyone
who is going to interact with Children from the platform of ECI.
o Community leaders will be equipped about the policy and the rights of children.
o Advocacy, programme and campaigns will be provided to enlighten the parents,
community, guardians about child rights and its appropriate implementation.

5.9

Behavioral Protocols:

For ECI Staff Volunteers and Management Team

o Create healthy and secure environment where children can feel themselves valued,
loved and cared.
o Any kind of abuse and exploitation of a child will not be acceptable in the boundaries of
ECI and in its working environment.
o Ensure safety and security of the children.
o Ensure that all the staff who is working with children is fully equipped and understand the
policy and its implementation.
o Child protection concerns and any kind of child abuse should be reported to the relevant
office immediately.
o Give comfort response towards exploited child that he would be protected from any
danger and abuse.
o Assist and support to investigate allegation of any child harm and abuse.
o All those who work with children will not make any personal contact with the child, will
not be involved in any sexual, physical and inappropriate relationship with a child.
o They will never verbally, physically, emotionally abuse a child.
o Always give respect to the child, do not breach their confidentiality, and
wherevertheirwherever their information will be needed to share obtain consent from
family and guardian.
o Keep ethical consideration while taking pictures and using images. Do not use their
pictures, images, names and photography, phone, personal contact, home address, for
any purpose and on media. In case of sharing their information (for justice purpose)
parental and guardian consent will be taken which will be written: (ApendixAppendix)
o Every person who will work with children in ECI team will sign his/her code of conduct
(appendix 1) will receive the orientation of child protection and all forms of abuse along
with all the process and procedures of implementation of policy.
Appendix 1

Code of Conduct

To work with under 18

o As I represent ECI and being a worker of ECI I need to show high standard of conduct
towards children as ECI works for the welfare of children and provide better environment
to the children and establish peace and social justice therefore I am also accountable to
maintain safety and security of the children.
o I will keep myself kind, supportive and caring towards children as God loves children and
we are created to care others.
o I will prevent child abuse wherever I will assign my work with ECI.
o I will never harm a child, physically, emotionally, sexually and spiritually, and will not
neglect a child.
o I will understand my personal responsibility to protect children from all forms of abuse.
o If I will see and will came to know about any form of abuse I will take necessary actions
according to the policy.
o I will be remained the part of advocacy, campaigns, programmes and awareness which
will be for the betterment of children.
o I will be a source of assist to families in which abuse and neglect of a child or young
person will in a problem.
o I will encourage, motivate, advice and guide children.
o I will not discriminate children on the basis of race, gender, religion, identity, socio
economic status, belief, cultural background.
o I will support and allow children to communicate their best interest to make decisions,
particularly about their own lives

Full Name: ____________________________

Signature:_______________________________

Designation: ___________________________Date:
____________________________________
Note: Code of conduct will be applicable for all those who will work with children under 18 in
ECI.
Appendix B

Child Protection

Photographic and video Consent/ agreement Form

I __________Declares that I have taken the photographs and made video of the Children from
___________________________________ (Area) for the purpose of __________
____________________________________________________________________________
_. I assure that any information/ photograph/video/images will not be used to harm of any child.
All the taken information and resource will not be used for any bad purpose. If the any of the
information will be used by the ECI staff or any members for personal benefits, then ECI would
have complete authority to take immediate action according to the organizational policies and
procedures. ECI will have authority to take legal action as well as can ask to return all the
information within decided time limit. Applicant (who need permission) Signature:
_________________ Full name _____________________ Designation: _________________
Date_______________________ (Person details who will give permission) Signature:
_________________ Full name _____________________ Designation: _________________
Date_______________________

Note: any person who will take picture or film of the child will not be allowed without permission
of their guardian/ parents. This form should be kept in the record for their consent.
Procedure to report complain of any form of Abuse

1. Complain of abuse
2. Source of complain  Teacher  Parent  Child
3. Complain will be forwarded to ECI Office
4. Investigation Child Protection Committee  Managing Director  HR Manager  Child
Protection Officer
5. Decision will be taken by committee  Counseling of the Child  Counseling of the family
 Legal Assistance (If needed)
6. If ECI Employee will be involved: Necessary action will be taken (decision maker will by
Committee)
7.  Investigation  Child protection Committee  Action
Complain Form Name:

Name/Anonymous: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Age: -----------------------------------------class----------------------------------------------------------

Contact number: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reason of complain: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Event (What Happened give detail) ________________________________________________

Date: _________________________time:
___________________________________________

Name of the suspected person (abused): -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Designation/ address/contact: ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
__
____________________________________________________________________________
__

Any other concern:

_____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
__