ISR Child Protection Policy

1. Introduction

All children deserve a happy childhood and the opportunity to lead a dignified life safe from violence, exploitation, neglect, deprivation and discrimination. Children constitute principle assets of any country. Children need to be empowered, protected and their vulnerability status improved, by safeguarding them from abuses, violence, discrimination, neglect, injustice, hard labour, and trafficking. Therefore, Protection of children is not only a matter of their human rights but also an investment towards building a robust nation. ISR commits itself in letter and spirit to the objectives laid down in legal and constitutional framework for child protection.

2. Policy Framework

A Child Protection Policy provides a framework of principles, standards and guidelines on which to base individual and organizational practice in relation to areas such as:

1. ISR shall ensure that all engaged by ISR must conform to the laid out principles of child protection and child rights.
2. All ISR activities and programmes strictly adhere to the following child protection standards so that children are not exposed to exploitation or abuse at any level at any time.
3. ISR will ensure that all communication about children will portray them as dignified citizens of the country.
4. Any one (staff or community) suspected of child abuse or inappropriate behaviour will be dealt with severely, action that may include investigation as well as severance of employment of relationship.
5. No corporeal punishment shall be given to any child by any of its staff members.

3. Definitions

• Child: As per the Juvenile Justice a “child” means a person who has not completed 18 years of age.
• Child Rights: The rights of any person below the age of 18 years as recognized by the UNCRC and other concerned international instruments and operationalized through Indian legislations.
• Child Abuse: All forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.
• Physical abuse: including hurting or injuring a child, inflicting pain, poisoning, drowning, or smothering.
• Sexual abuse: including direct or indirect sexual exploitation or corruption of children by involving them (or threatening to involve them) in inappropriate sexual activities.
• Emotional abuse: repeatedly rejecting children, humiliating them or denying their worth and rights as human beings.
• Neglect: the persistent lack of appropriate care of children, including love, stimulation, safety, warmth, education, and medical attention.
• Vulnerable Children: Children hailing from critical backgrounds including dysfunctional families, working children, destitute, orphans, street children or children in acute vulnerable situations or any environment that is risky and might inhibit the growth and development of the child shall also be considered as critical background, with emphasis on a working child.
• Corporal Punishment: Any deliberate infliction of physical/emotional pain on a child by an adult.
• Child Protection: By protection we mean to safeguard all the children (between 0-18years) from all forms of physical, sexual, mental, emotional, spiritual, economic and social abuse and exploitation.

ISR’s Child Protection Code Of Conduct

1. Code Of Conduct

ISR believes in and advocates children’s rights to survival, protection, development and participation. This Code of Conduct includes guidance on appropriate and expected standards of behaviour of adults towards children, and also of children towards other children. It has been developed with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration and should be interpreted in a spirit of transparency and common sense.

2. Appropriate Standards Of Behaviour

All engaged by ISR should:

1. Provide an enabling environment for children’s personal, physical, social, emotional, moral and intellectual development.
2. Encourage and respect children’s voices and views.
3. Be inclusive and involve all children without selection or exclusion on the basis of gender, disability, ethnicity, religion or any other status.
4. Be aware of the potential for peer abuse (e.g. children bullying, discriminating against, victimizing or abusing children).
5. Develop special measures/supervision to protect younger and especially vulnerable children from peer and adult abuse.
6. Be aware of high-risk peer situations (e.g. unsupervised mixing of older and younger children and possibilities of discrimination against minors).
7. Develop clear rules to address specific physical safety issues relative to the local physical environment of a programme (e.g. for programmes based near water, heavy road traffic, railway lines).
8. Avoid placing yourself in a compromising or vulnerable position when meeting with children (e.g. being alone with a child in any circumstances which might potentially be questioned by others).
9. Meet with a child in a central, public location whenever possible.
10. Immediately report the circumstances of any situation which occurs which may be subject to misinterpretation to the designated committee.
11. Report suspected or alleged abuse to the designated committee.
12. Comply with all relevant National Child Protection and local legislation, including labour laws in relation to child labour.

3. Inappropriate Standards Of Behavior

None, engaged by ISR should:

1. Hit or otherwise physically assault a child.
2. Use language that will mentally or emotionally abuse any child, that means inappropriate, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, demeaning or culturally.
3. Act in any way that intends to embarrass shame, humiliate, or degrade a child.
4. Show discrimination of race, culture, age, gender, disability, religion, sexuality, political persuasion or any other status.
5. Develop a sexual relationship with any child or engage children in any form of sexual activity or acts, including paying for sexual services or acts.
6. Kiss, hug, fondle, rub, or touch a child in an inappropriate or culturally insensitive way.
7. Do things of a personal nature that a child could do for him/herself, including dressing, bathing, and grooming.
8. Invite unaccompanied children into their home or any isolated place, unless they are at immediate risk of injury or in physical danger.
9. Use any computers, mobile phones or video and digital cameras inappropriately, and never exploit or harass children or access child pornography through any medium.
10. Encourage any crushes by a child.
11. Initiate physical contact (e.g. holding hands) unless initiated by the child.
12. Suggest inappropriate behaviour or relations of any kind.
13. Allow children to engage in sexually provocative games with each other.
14. Stand aside when they see inappropriate actions inflicted by children on other children because it is frequent and commonplace.

4. Ramifications Of Misconduct

How to make a complaint?

A person wishing to make a complaint of any such child can consult and file a complaint with the ISR Management. The complaint should be made in writing and addressed to HR Department Head within 3 working days of any such incident of discrimination.

Once a complaint has been filed:

• Investigation

Once a complaint has been filed an investigation will be undertaken immediately. In instances where there is an alleged respondent, the respondent will be notified immediately. The complainant and the respondent will both be interviewed along with any individuals who may be able to provide relevant information.

The child himself/ herself can file a complaint with the help of a guardian to HR Department of ISR.

• Mediation

ISR supports resolving matters through mediation provided that it is consistent with organizational duties, obligations and needs. Mediation can only be undertaken voluntarily. If both parties agree to participate, matters may be resolved through mediation in the following circumstances. Once the matter has been investigated and ISR has determined the facts of the case, ISR may use meditation to develop appropriate solutions to the complaint; and, in rare instances, where the incident is an isolated event and the parties do not dispute the facts, ISR will act diligently to ensure that matters are dealt with in a manner that ensures the safety and protection of everyone within the organization.

• Timelines

ISR will investigate all complaints immediately and will work towards the prompt resolution and prevention of discriminatory acts and practices. The first round of investigation and conclusion shall be arrived at within 15 working days from the date of filing of the complaint.

• Fairness

All complaints will be investigated in the same manner with the aim of promoting, fairness and equality.

• Confidentiality and the Right to Privacy

ISR will preserve the confidentiality of all individuals involved in a discrimination complaint. The preservation of confidentiality may be affected by the employer’s duty to prevent discrimination in/at ISR and by the alleged respondent’s right to know the nature of the complaint being made against them and who has made it so that they can respond.

If the investigation fails to find evidence to support the complaint, no documentation concerning the complaint will be placed on the file of the respondent. ISR will retain all documentation for 12 months for informational purposes in the event that there is an internal appeal or a complaint filed with an outside agency.

• Outcomes and Remedies

ISR will act swiftly to ensure that the discriminatory practice is stopped as soon as possible and may remedy the situation in a number of ways. The main concerns of the employer will be to ensure that no such incident is repeated in future.

• Appeal Process

Within 15 days from the result of first round of investigation, either the complainant or the respondent may make a written request that an investigation be reviewed stating which aspect of the investigation is inadequate. The request must be submitted to the HR Department Head, who

will determine if the investigation is to be re-opened in order to address the concerns raised. In case the appeal is taken up, then the investigation shall be completed within 15 working days by the same committee with the inclusion of an independent member. The result of the appeal shall be binding on the complainant for all purposes.

5. Use of Children’s images for work related purposes

When photographing or filming a child for work related purposes, one must:

• Before photographing or filming a child, assess and endeavour to comply with local traditions or restrictions for reproducing personal images;
• Before photographing or filming a child, obtain consent from the child or a parent or guardian of the child. As part of this, it must be explained how the photograph or film will be used;
• Ensure photographs, films, and all forms of digital recording present children in a dignified and respectful manner and not in a vulnerable or submissive manner.
• Ensure images are honest representations of the context and the facts;
• Ensure file labels do not reveal identifying information about a child when sending images electronically;