Child Safeguarding Policy

Mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. The mandate of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children promotes a vision of a world where all children can grow up free from violence, leaving no child behind. The work of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children is anchored in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its Optional Protocols, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Purpose

The Child Safeguarding Policy of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children aims to:

• prevent any form of violence or harm to children arising from the activities of the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children
• ensure that the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children takes appropriate action when a child safeguarding concern comes to its attention.

Principles

In implementing this policy, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall ensure that it:

• respects the dignity of all children, especially child victims or survivors of violence
• does no harm to children
• avoids all forms of discrimination
• adopts an inclusive approach that is sensitive to the situation of more vulnerable or marginalized children
• acts in the best interests of children
• respects children’s privacy and personal information
• respects the evolving capacity and agency of children
• respects children’s right to be heard and their right to freedom of expression
• works in partnership with others to keep children safe.

Scope and definitions

This policy applies to all staff, consultants, interns and volunteers working at the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. It covers all Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children activities and interactions with children. These activities include but are not limited to:

• meetings, consultations, campaigns or events hosted by the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children in whatever format or location
• the preparation of Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children publications and communications material
• gathering images or videos of children, audio recordings, written submissions or other personal information
• online or in-person communications with children.

A child is defined as a person below the age of 18 years.

A child safeguarding concern is any situation or behavior that places a child at risk or that has the potential to harm a child, whether online or in person. This can include physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect, or exploitation. A child safeguarding concern that may involve misconduct by UN personnel or other breach of UN rules shall be addressed immediately through existing conduct and discipline channels. UN personnel have specific responsibilities to report cases of sexual exploitation and abuse perpetrated by UN personnel, in line with the Secretary-General’s Bulletin on special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13).

Roles and responsibilities

Everyone has an active role to play in creating a safe and empowering environment for all children. All Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children staff, consultants, interns and volunteers at shall:

• read and comply with this policy and the Code of Conduct of the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (see Annex 1)
• refer any child safeguarding concerns arising in the context of the work of the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children to the Child Safeguarding Focal Point.

The Child Safeguarding Focal Point or alternate shall:

• deliver periodic training to the team on this policy
• keep the Child Safeguarding Policy and procedures under review and suggest amendments where necessary
• communicate to the team any changes made to the policy
• consult with other colleagues on child safeguarding concerns as needed and recommend appropriate action to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children.

The SRSG shall:

• approve the Child Safeguarding Policy and any amendments made to it
• designate the Child Safeguarding Focal Point and an alternate

Induction, training and support

The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall provide a copy of this Child Safeguarding Policy to all new staff, consultants, interns and volunteers, all of whom shall be requested to affirm in writing that they agree to abide by this policy and the Code of Conduct (see Annex 1). The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall include child safeguarding in the induction training of all new team members. It will also provide annual training on child safeguarding to staff, consultants, interns and volunteers. The Child Safeguarding Focal Point and alternate shall be available to provide advice and support to colleagues on an ongoing basis regarding the implementation of the policy.

Activities involving children

The OSRSG VAC carries out diverse activities that may include the direct involvement of children and/or contact with them. This includes children’s participation in meetings, consultations and campaigns – both online and offline – and children’s contributions to the publications and communication materials produced by the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. In planning such activities, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall consider:

• the nature of the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children’s contact with or access to children
• the nature of the information Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children accesses or gathers, including personal information, photos, videos, text and audio recordings
• whether participation in the activity may have harmful consequences or lead to intimidation, reprisals, or the fear of such
• whether some children may face additional vulnerabilities and require specific measures to ensure their safe participation in the activity.

See Annex 2 for the safeguarding checklist.

The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall create a safe environment for children’s involvement in activities it organizes by mitigating any specific risks identified, and by ensuring the following:

• Children’s contributions, images and other personal information shall be presumed to be confidential unless the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children has received written consent for the use of such material or information as part of its activities (see Annex 3 for a template consent form).
• The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall refrain from sharing children’s personally identifiable information, such as their full name, postal address, name of their school, email address, phone number and details for their social media accounts.
• The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall not undertake any activities or produce any written, visual or audio content that exploits children, stigmatizes them or exposes them to harm.
• At public events where children are involved and in which other parties participate, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children will remind all participants of the need to respect children’s privacy and protect them from harm, for example in relation to other parties taking photographs or sharing details of the event on social media.
• During online events that involve children, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall consider the use of technical tools and methods of interaction to keep children safe, including:
  • using the event registration function to identify participants under the age of 18
  • sharing safeguarding information and the Code of Conduct before the event and reminding participants of the main points at the start of the event
  • inviting children to display their first names only on the online platform
  • reminding children not to share any personally identifiable information
  • disabling the chat function and/or video for participants under the age of 18
  • filtering questions through a moderator.
• The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall comply with the United Nations Personal Data Protection and Privacy Principles in relation to all personal data shared by children during the course of its activities. These principles include fair and legitimate processing; using data only for a specified purpose; proportionality and necessity; retention only for specified purpose; accuracy; confidentiality; security, transparency; and accountability.
• Where relevant, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children and/or partner organizations shall create a list of emergency contact numbers for each child taking part in the activity and make sure this is easily available to the staff, consultants, interns, volunteers or others who are responsible for the child.

The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall provide comprehensive information to children on their involvement in its activities (including through preparatory meetings, where appropriate). This information shall include:

• the purpose of the activity
• how the activity will work, particularly if the event is public, filmed, webcast, photographed or recorded for further dissemination
• how children’s inputs will be used, and particularly the implications of sharing images, audio, text and other material online
• details of who will be in the audience or otherwise participating in the event
• how the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children will follow up and provide feedback on the outputs and impact of the activity.

Child safeguarding is also a key component of the information the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children should provide about the activity. The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall inform children, parents/legal guardians and/or the organization facilitating the participation of children in the activity about:

• the child’s right to be protected from harm while participating in the activity
• how the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children and its partners should interact with children, in line with Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children’s this Safeguarding Policy and its Code of Conduct
• how children can keep themselves and others safe during the activity
• where and how children can seek support if the content of the activity may be triggering or upsetting, including through local referral or support mechanisms (e.g. helplines)
• where and how children can report their child safeguarding concerns, including the name and contact details for the team member from the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children or partner organization who is acting as the Child Safeguarding Focal Point for the event

This information will be conveyed in a child-friendly way and adapted as necessary for the age, communication needs and background of the children. When children are taking part directly in events or activities run by the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall ensure that it obtains the full, informed and written consent of children and their parent/legal guardian. Children and their parent/legal guardian shall be able to withdraw their consent at any time. The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children sometimes engages partners to support or assist with activities that involve children directly. Unless such partners already have equivalent procedures in place, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall require partners to abide by its Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct, and shall reflect this requirement in any related terms of reference, memoranda of understanding or other agreements, as appropriate.

Interacting with children

When communicating directly with a child in person or online, members of the team should ensure that:

• their communication is respectful and professional
• their language is sensitive to the age, gender, communication needs and background of the child
• a child is never humiliated or demeaned
• at least one other adult – such as another team member or parent – is present during the interaction (if in person) or included in the communication (if it is online).
• only official email or social media accounts are used
• messaging services that require the use of personal phone numbers are avoided, if possible. If it is deemed necessary to contact a child by these means, at least one other adult should be included in the communication.

Referral to the Child Safeguarding Focal Point and immediate follow-up

Staff members, consultants, interns and volunteers may have a child safeguarding concern as a result of:

• a child’s disclosure of violence, abuse or exploitation
• their own observations on interacting with a child
• information or material shared by another party, including other children.

When an Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team member has a child safeguarding concern, the team member should refer the information to the Child Safeguarding Focal Point or alternate. The team member should make a careful note of all relevant details but it is not their role to investigate a child safeguarding concern or to probe for additional information.

Where an Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team member receives a disclosure directly from a child, it is important to reassure the child that they have done the right thing in sharing the information and that abuse is never their fault. The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team member should indicate that the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children will need to share the information with someone who will be able to help. It is important that the team member never promises a child that they will keep their disclosure secret. In addition, the team member should not raise unrealistic expectations about what the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children can do.

The Child Safeguarding Focal Point or alternate will then bring the matter immediately to the attention of the SRSG with a recommendation for action. The recommendation will consider:

• any immediate or imminent threat of harm to the child
• the need to inform the child’s parents/legal guardians and connect them to support services, where it is safe to do so
• the need to inform another organization if the concern relates to an accompanying adult, staff member or non-staff personnel of that organization
• whether referral to national law enforcement or child protection authorities would be appropriate and in the best interests of the child.

Child safeguarding concerns that may involve staff misconduct

If the child safeguarding concern may involve staff misconduct or other breach of UN rules, it should be addressed immediately through existing conduct and discipline channels.

Child safeguarding concerns that involve Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team members

If the child safeguarding concern relates to the acts or omissions of the Child Safeguarding Focal Point or alternate, Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team members should bring the matter directly to the attention of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General. If the child safeguarding concern relates to the acts or omission of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children team members should seek external advice from the Office of Internal Oversight Services.

Records and information sharing

The Child Safeguarding Focal Point or alternate shall record the details of all child safeguarding concerns that are brought to their attention. The Child Safeguarding Focal Point and alternate shall ensure the confidentiality and security of any sensitive information related to child safeguarding concerns, in line with the United Nations Personal Data Protection and Privacy Principles. The Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall only share such information on a strictly need-to-know basis or when children are at risk of harm. Where appropriate, the Office of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children shall keep the child and their parent/legal guardian informed of all action taken in response to the child safeguarding concern.