Child Safeguarding Policy

Purpose

Synergos recognizes that it has a responsibility and duty of care toward protecting children engaged within our programs and offerings and commits to creating and maintaining a safe and positive environment that protects children from all forms of exploitation and abuse.

Notwithstanding different definitions of children, in terms of age and rights of children in different countries, the policy encompasses all rights upheld by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that Synergos has the proper process and mechanism to prevent and -address child abuse by any Synergos representative. This policy must be read, understood, and acknowledged and serves to reinforce our existing organizational policy framework including our People, Compliance, and Operations policy.

Synergos Safeguarding Principles

  • Prevention: We will take all reasonable steps to prevent harm from happening.
  • Reporting: We will create a culture where people feel safe to report any concerns about safeguarding.
  • Response: We will respond promptly and appropriately to any safeguarding concerns that are raised.
  • Collaboration: We will work with other organizations to share information and best practice on safeguarding.

Scope

This policy applies to all Synergos staff members, Board of Directors, consultants, volunteers, partner organizations including sub-contractors and network members working directly for and on behalf of Synergos' programs and /or projects. For the purpose of this policy, the coverage of categories stated will be classified as Synergos representatives.

Statement of Policy

Synergos believes that it is never acceptable for a child defined as those under the age of 18, to experience abuse of any kind. Synergos recognizes its responsibility to protect children from abuse and to safeguard their welfare.

This policy has been written to ensure that Synergos representatives do not engage in behavior that could allow abuse to occur or engage in actions that could be misinterpreted by children, their families or other adults as constituting or leading to abuse.

All Synergos representatives are required to acknowledge in writing receipt and understanding of the Synergos Child Safeguarding Policy through an annual compliance training and will be kept informed of policy changes as they arise. Additionally, all new Synergos representatives are informed of Synergos' Child Safeguarding Policy during their onboarding.

Definition of Terms

Child
In accordance with the internationally ratified United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child, Synergos defines a child as any person below the age of 18, regardless of the age of majority or age of consent locally.

Child Safeguarding
Child safeguarding is the responsibility of the organization to make sure their staff members, operations, and programs do no harm to children, that is that they do not expose children to the risk of harm and abuse, and that any concerns the organization has about children's safety within the communities in which they work, are reported to the appropriate authorities.

“Do No Harm”
This refers to organization's responsibility to 'do no harm' or minimize the harm they may be doing inadvertently as a result of inappropriate programming.

Definitions of Harm

  • Physical Abuse or causing injury: actual or potential physical harm perpetrated by another person, adult or child. It may involve hitting, shaking, poisoning, drowning and burning. Physical harm may also be caused when a parent or caretaker fabricates the symptoms of or deliberately induces illness in a child.
     
  • Sexual Abuse: forcing or enticing a child to take part in sexual activities that he or she does not fully understand and has little choice in consenting to. This may include, but is not limited to, rape, oral sex, penetration, or non-penetrative acts such as masturbation, kissing, rubbing and touching. It may also include involving children in looking a or producing sexual images, watching sexual activities and encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate ways.
     
  • Child Sexual Exploitation: a form of sexual abuse that involves children being engaged in any sexual activity in exchange for money, gifts, food, accommodation, affection, status, or anything else that they or their family needs. It usually involves a child being manipulated or coerced, which may involve befriending children, gaining their trust, and subjecting them to drugs and alcohol. The abusive relationship between victim and perpetrator involves an imbalance of power where the victim's options are limited. It is a form of abuse that can be misunderstood by children and adults as consensual.
     
    Child sexual exploitation manifests in different ways. It can involve an older perpetrator exercising financial, emotional or physical control over a young person. It can involve peers manipulating or forcing victims into sexual activity, sometimes within gangs and in gang-affected neighborhoods. It may also involve opportunistic or organized networks of perpetrators who profit financially from trafficking young victims between different locations to engage in sexual activity with multiple men.
     
  • Neglect and Negligent Treatment: allowing for context, resources and circumstances, neglect and negligent treatment refers to a persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical and /or psychological needs, which is likely to result in serious impairment of a child's healthy physical, spiritual, moral and mental development. It includes the failure to properly supervise and protect children from harm and provide for nutrition, shelter and safe living/working conditions. It may also involve maternal neglect during pregnancy as a result of drug or alcohol misuse and the neglect and ill treatment of a disabled child.
     
  • Emotional Abuse: persistent emotional maltreatment that impacts a child's emotional development. Emotionally abusive acts include restriction of movement, degrading, humiliating, bullying (including cyber bullying), and threatening, scaring, discriminating, ridiculing or other non-physical forms of hostile or rejecting treatment.
     
  • Commercial Exploitation: exploiting a child in work or other activities for the benefit of others and to the detriment of the child's physical or mental health, education, moral or social-emotional development. It includes, but is not limited to, child labor.

Synergos representatives
Refers to all Synergos staff members, key consultants, Board of Directors, external contractors, interns, volunteers and other stakeholders engaged by our partners, networks or organizations subcontracted by Synergos and limited to those working directly for and on behalf of Synergos programs and/or projects.

Recruiting and Screening

Basic screening of applicants for employment includes a written application, personal interviews and reference checks. During the interview process, applicants may be asked about previous work with children. For positions that will come into contact with children a minimum of two positive references will be obtained and clearly documented prior to any offer of employment being extended. The references will confirm that the individual providing the reference is not aware of any reason why the applicant should not work with children.

Where possible and permissible by local law, applicants may be requested to give written permission for a criminal record or police background check for any conviction related to abuse of children. If such checks are instituted, candidates are informed at the time of interview that hiring will be contingent on a record check.

Synergos will not hire anyone that it learns has a prior conviction for child abuse, pedophilia or related offenses. In the event that local law prohibits this broad a hiring rule, no person with a conviction for child abuse, pedophilia or related offences will be hired into a position which includes direct access to children.

All Synergos representatives are required to sign acknowledgement of and acceptance of the Child Safeguarding Policy and agree to abide by the policy throughout their employment, tenure and or association with Synergos.

Education and Training

All staff members and key consultants will receive a short overview on child safeguarding as part of their onboarding at the time of their engagement with the organization. Synergos representatives with specific responsibilities relating to child safeguarding (e.g. running a youth program, orphans and vulnerable children) may be provided with a more in-depth training before they conduct these activities.

In addition, global staff members and key consultants will be provided child safeguarding training on an annual basis as part of our organizational compliance measures initiative. To the extent that children are in Synergos facilities, or under the direct supervision of Synergos staff members, key consultants, Synergos will conduct periodic risk assessments to ensure we are providing safe, inclusive environments for children. This will be coordinated by the Global Human Resources in collaboration with Operations and Programs.

As appropriate, children and families will be informed of Synergos' commitment to child safeguarding and what to do if they have concerns about a child.

Behavior Protocols

Synergos' Behavior Protocols are rules of appropriate and proper behavior. All Synergos representatives under the scope of coverage of the policy are required to acknowledge receipt and understanding of the Behavior Protocols. We demonstrate this commitment through the following Protocols designed to protect children but are also intended to protect Synergos representatives and other parties from false accusations of inappropriate behavior or abuse.

Where appropriate, individuals who are hired as independent contractors and visitors to Synergos' offices and sites will be made aware that they are expected to follow behavior protocols set out below.

Synergos representatives may not behave in an abusive or exploitative manner by exerting power and authority over children or by creating an unsafe environment.

Synergos representatives must observe the following:

Never engage in any unacceptable sexual activity with children:

  • Never use language or behavior towards children that is inappropriate, harassing, abusive, sexually provocative, intended to humiliate or culturally inappropriate.
  • Never engage children in any form of sexual intercourse or sexual activity including paying for sexual services or engaging in other transactional forms of sexual services with any person under 18 years old (or under the local age of consent where higher than 18).
  • Never sleep close to unsupervised children that are not part of their family.
  • Never engage in or attempt to engage in sexual or inappropriate relationships with children for any reason, including the use of suggestive conversations, comments, texting, instant messaging, emails, or social media platforms, as there is an inherently unequal power dynamic. This includes possessing or distributing indecent images of children or others.
  • Never use your status or position to form inappropriate relationships which are of a sexual or exploitative nature, or which may become so, with any child either face-to-face or online.
  • Never communicate with children via social media, emails, or phone unless it is an agreed part of your work and managers are both informed and able to monitor activity.
  • Never exchange money, work, goods, services, incentives, or aid for sexual favors or subject anyone to any other kind of humiliating, degrading, suggestive, or abusive behavior.

Never engage in any other exploitative behavior:

  • Never engage in child labor including hiring of children for domestic or other labor which is inappropriate given their age or developmental stage, which interferes with their time available for education and recreational activities or which places them at significant risk of injury.
  • Never use your status or position to intimidate, bully, threaten, discriminate against, embarrass, shame, humiliate, coerce, or undermine children or adults at risk.
  • Never encourage or assist children to break the law in any way.
  • Never engage in any commercially exploitative activities with children including child labor or trafficking.
  • Never use any computers, mobile phones, video cameras, cameras or social media to exploit or harass children or access child sexual exploitation material through any medium.

Never engage in other abusive or negligent behavior:

  • Never carry out your duties or visit with children while under the influence of alcohol, solvents, or drugs. Never smoke in the presence of children.
  • Never use any sort of physical chastisement/punishment or implements to beat or hit a child as a form of discipline, or withhold food, water, or other necessities of care.
  • Never take any type of bribe or reward in order to cover up or ignore suspicious activity involving children or adults at risk.
  • Never neglect a child or leave a child unsupervised as this may put the child at risk of harm or injury.
  • Never carry out traditional cultural practices that are harmful, such as early or forced marriage of a child.
  • Never photograph or film a child or obtain their story without first obtaining informed consent from the parent or guardian of the child.
  • Never engage in physical contact with a child that is unprofessional, abusive, unnecessary or excessive, that makes a child feel uncomfortable or unsafe, or in a culturally insensitive way. o Never engage in any sort of child abuse whether sexual, physical, emotional, neglect, grooming, harassment or exploitation via digital or other means.
  • Wherever possible, ensure that another adult is present when working near children.

In general, when in direct or indirect contact with children, Synergos is committed to ensuring the safety, wellbeing and human rights of children. Across our work, we endeavor to create environments where all children can feel and be, safe and welcomed where their participation is valued.

Incident Reporting & Investigation

Any suspicion or disclosure of child abuse must be immediately reported to the immediate Manager. All incidents must be reported and managed in accordance with the Synergos Child Protection Incident Reporting Process outlined (see Attachment 2).

Effective reporting procedures and plans for handling allegations of misconduct enhance efforts to protect children from abuse. Child abusers are not likely to remain in an environment where workers are trained to report suspicious behavior. Child abusers thrive on secrecy and are more likely to commit an abusive act when they are unnoticed, or when they are in an environment in which others are naive and insensitive to the possibility of child abuse.

Alleged cases of child abuse in the United States should be reported to the Head of Human Resources.

Alleged cases of child abuse in the country offices should be reported to the Country Director or to their immediate Manager or to the Head of Human Resources. They will decide on the appropriate steps, which may include referring the matter to the local authorities and supporting criminal prosecution.

An alleged perpetrator of child abuse will normally be suspended from their position during the investigation of the allegations. The person accused will be informed that allegations have been made against him or her and given an opportunity to respond.

At the conclusion of the investigation, the suspended person will be informed in writing of the results of the investigation and what corrective action, if any, will be taken. A staff member who is proven to have committed child abuse will immediately be -terminated from their employment with Synergos and not eligible for rehire. If a country staff member is suspected, due regard will be given to the potential for legal action in the country staff member's country of origin.

In the event a staff member is discharged for suspected sexual abuse, Synergos may disclose such information if requested by a prospective employer. Such disclosures are made in accordance with applicable law and/or customs. In the event an allegation is proven to be untrue, or even fabricated, appropriate steps are taken for follow-up with the person who has been accused, the child, and the person who did the reporting. If a staff member raises a legitimate concern about suspected child abuse, which proves to be unfounded at the conclusion of an investigation, no action will be taken against the employee. However, any staff member who makes false and malicious accusations will face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. An allegation of child abuse is a serious issue. Information about a child safeguarding incident is shared only with people on a 'need to know' basis as deemed necessary by the -Head of Human Resources, and Country Director.

Anyone given information regarding the names, identities, allegations, and/or information regarding the investigation, as outlined above, is required to maintain confidentiality at all times.

All allegations of child abuse will be shared with Jackie Kazantzis, Director, Finance and Operations, as the individual with the authority to respond to concerns and disclosures, and she can be reached at jkazantzis@synergos.org or in the New York, US office, 646-963-2100.

If a report of abuse is made or concerns are raised, even if the situation is ultimately found to be untrue, no retaliatory action will be taken against the person making the report in line with the Synergos' Whistleblower Policy. If, however, the report is found to be malicious, Human Resources in consultation with senior leadership will decide on the course of action relating to disciplinary action.

Communications About Children

Communications about children should use pictures that are decent and respectful and in compliance with our Communications guidelines on Informational Materials Consent and Release Policy. In-country Protection of Personal Information Regulations should be followed.

Staff representatives should not photograph or film a child or obtain their story without first obtaining informed consent from the parent or guardian of the child.

Poses that could be interpreted as sexually suggestive should be avoided. Language that implies a relationship of power over children should also be avoided.

Child personal and physical information that could be used to identify the location of a child should not be used on Synergos web sites or in any other form of communication. about a child.

As Synergos becomes aware of applicable information on community resources and support services for vulnerable, abused or exploited children, information will be provided to Synergos staff members and representatives.

Sub-recipients/Sub-contractors

Agreements with sub-recipients or sub-contractors will include a statement that sub-recipients/sub-contractors who do not have a child safeguarding policy will either abide by the Synergos' policy or develop their own as a condition of the partnership and awarding.

Exceptions

Exceptions to this policy may only be granted in writing by the President & CEO only and any such approval shall be filed with relevant documentation.

Last updated December 2023