Legals
CQR Safeguarding Policy
Putting Safety at the Heart of Everything We Do with CQR’s Safeguarding Policy
Safe-
guarding
Safeguarding
Introduction
Safeguarding is the obligation that an organization has to ensure their employees, consultant, partners, vendors, operations and programs do no harm to children, young people or vulnerable adults that they do not expose them to the risk of discrimination, neglect, exploitation, harm and abuse and that any concerns the organization has about the safety of vulnerable people within the communities in which they work, are dealt with and reported to the appropriate authorities.
Scope
The Policy is applicable to all staff, directors, advisors, consultants, fellows, interns and all other persons who have contractual relationships with CQR and are appointed to CQR office, its unit offices, projects offices and partner organizations.
Definitions
Abuse - a violation of an individual's human and civil rights by any other person. It may be form of physical, psychological, financial, or sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the health, survival, development or dignity of a child, young person or vulnerable adult. Abuse can be a single act or repeated acts and can be unintentional or deliberate.
Financial abuse - including theft, fraud, exploitation, pressure in connection with wills, property or inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions, or benefits.
Neglect - the persistent failure to meet a vulnerable person's basic physical needs, likely to result in the serious impairment of his/her health or development. Examples include failure to provide adequate food, clothing and shelter, failure to protect them from physical or psychological harm or danger; failure to ensure adequate supervision or failure to ensure access to appropriate medical care or treatment. It may also include neglect of, or unresponsiveness to, a vulnerable person's basic emotional needs.
Physical abuse - includes hitting, shaking, throwing, poisoning, burning or scalding, drowning, suffocating or otherwise causing physical harm, misuse of medication, restraint, or inappropriate sanctions.
Psychological abuse - includes emotional abuse, threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks. Examples include not giving a vulnerable person opportunity to express their views, deliberately silencing them or 'making fun' of what they say or how they communicate
Sexual abuse - involves forcing, enticing, or coercing someone to take part in sexual activities, whether or not the vulnerable person is aware of what is happening. The activities may involve physical contact, including assault by penetration (for example, rape or oral sex) or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching outside of clothing. They may also include non-contact activities, such as involving a vulnerable person in looking at, or in the production of, sexual images, watching sexual activities, encouraging Ch ild ren to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
Child - a person as anyone under the age of 18 years, irrespective of the age of majority in the country in which the child lives or in their home country. It is widely recognized that children are generally more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation due to factors such as age, gender, social and economic status, developmental stage, and dependence on others.
Vulnerable adult - a person, 18 years and above, who by reason of disability, age, gender, social and economic status, or illness, the context they are in, may be unable to take care of or to protect him or herself against abuse, harm or exploitation.
Youth or young people - individuals aged 15 to 25 this group spans the categories of 'children and 'adults' but regards young people as having safeguarding needs and requiring distinct consideration aside from younger children and older adults.
CQR values, principles, and beliefs regarding Safeguarding
The status of the child and adult should be reinforced as a full subject of rights.
- All children and adult have equal rights to be protected from abuse and exploitation.
- Child and adult abuse are never acceptable.
- Any form of discipline involving violence is unacceptable.
- The situation of all children should be improved through promotion of their rights as set out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Constitution of Bangladesh and the Children’s Act 2013.
- CQR is duty bound to protect children and adult involved or associated with CQR or CQR programmers.
- The best interests of children should be a primary consideration in making decisions that may affect them, and children’s wishes, and feelings should be given due regard.
- Regardless of nationality, religion, sex, class and language, all children and adult are equal under the law and must get equal access to opportunities and remedies.
- Compulsory reporting of any proven or suspected child and adult abuser should be ensured.
What CQR will do
CQR commitment to protect children and adult from abuse through the following measures:
- Awareness-raising: shall take effective measures to raise awareness amongst CQR staff about the problem of child and adult abuse and the risks that children face and the need to ensure environment, health and education rights for the physical and mental growth of children.
- Prevention: shall ensure through awareness-raising measures and good practices that CQR staff mitigate the risks to children and adult. Incoming staff shall be subjected to rigorous interviews and orientation programs and existing staff shall be closely monitored to ensure that people harmful to children are not recruited or retained.
- Reporting: shall ensure that CQR staff receive adequate training in order to get a clear understanding of the steps to take to protect children and adult when their safety is at Risk
- Responding: shall ensure that speedy action will be taken to support and protect children and adult where concerns arise regarding possible abuse, including but not limited to conduct of prompt and thorough investigations of abuse, culminating in disciplinary action against the responsible member of CQR staff.
How CQR ensure Commitments
Provide adequate training to CQR staff to ensure that they:
- Create an environment so that the child and adult can express his or her wishes, views and feelings freely
- Listen to and take seriously the views and wishes of children and adult
- Take seriously any concerns raised regarding child and adult abuse
- Support children and adult who raise concerns about potential abuse or who are the subject of such concerns
- Support CQR staff or other adults who raise concerns about potential abuse
- Take positive steps to ensure the protection of children and adult who could be exposed to situations of potential abuse
- Act appropriately and effectively to run investigations of abuse or to co-operate with any subsequent process of investigation
CQR Staff will Sign and Abide By the Attached Code Of Conduct
Advisors/Consultants/Directors/ Fellows/lnterns/of CQR will sign and abide by the Code of Conduct.
- CQR staff will have access to a copy of the Policy
- Every workplace of CQR will display contact details for reporting possible child and adult abuse, and every CQR staff member, Advisor, Consultant, Director, Fellow, or lantern shall be given the details for reporting.
- CQR will (1) raise awareness (2) prevent and (3) report incidents of abuse of children and (4) implement measures to protect them.
- CQR will subject incoming staff to rigorous interviews designed to filter out persons harmful to children and adult Upon recruitment, CQR staff shall be subjected to comprehensive orientation programs on Safeguarding.
- CQR will put in place a monitoring process to check employees’ compliance with the Policy. The annual performance report of each member of CQR staff will take into account the extent of his or her compliance with the Policy.
- CQR will organize seminars, workshops, training activities and similar learning opportunities to raise awareness about the Policy amongst CQR partners, NGOs, Networking Organizations and stakeholders.
- CQR will put in place a disciplinary system to ensure a fair and orderly proceeding on questions of possible misconduct by CQR staff.
- Code of Conduct for CQR Staff on Safeguarding All CQR staff must sign and abide by this Code of Conduct.
CQR Staff must never
- Hit or otherwise physically assault or physically abuse children and adult
- Develop physical and sexual relationships with children
- Develop relationships with children and adult which could in any way be deemed exploitative or abusive
- Act in ways that may be abusive or may place a child at risk of abuse
- Use language, make suggestions or offer advice, which is inappropriate, offensive or abusive
- Behave physically in a manner which is inappropriate or sexually provocative
- Sleep in the same room or bed as a child with whom they are working
- Act in ways intended to shame, humiliate, belittle, or degrade children, or otherwise perpetrate any form of emotional/mental abuse.
Important for CQR staff in contact with children and adult to
- Be aware of situations which may present risks and manage these
- Plan and organize the work and the workplace so as to minimize risks
- As far as possible, be visible in working with children.
- Ensure that a culture of openness exists to enable any issues or concerns to be raised and discussed
- Talk to children about their contact with CQR staff and encourage them to raise any concerns
- Raise awareness of children and adult about their rights through informal discussions, clarifying what is acceptable and what is unacceptable.
- Create an environment so that children and adult can express their opinions freely
Implementation
CQR and Its staff committed to the full implementation of the Safeguarding policy and procedures that support CQR intention to keep children and young people safe from harm. This safeguarding policy will be reviewed in 2027.