Who this applies to

This commitment applies to everyone who represents AWA. It applies at work and outside work.

Our standards of behaviour

Everyone who represents AWA must follow these rules, based on the United Nations’ six core principles on sexual exploitation and abuse:

How we prevent harm

Practical steps we take every day.

• All staff, volunteers and Board members sign our Code of Conduct and Safeguarding Policy.
• We recruit carefully: we check references and ask about safeguarding at interview.
• Everyone receives safeguarding training when they join, with refresher training every year.
• We plan our activities to be safe: we never leave a child alone with one adult, and we assess risks before our activities.
• We protect the identities, images and locations of the people we serve, and we ask for consent before taking photos.
• Our partners commit to the same standards.
• We tell the communities we work with how to raise a concern.

How to report a concern

Choose the way that feels safest for you.

What happens after you report

1. 1

   We confirm we have received your report within 48 hours.

2. 2

   We make sure the person affected is safe and offer support first: medical, psychosocial and legal referral.

3. 3

   We look into the concern fairly, promptly and confidentially.

4. 4

   We act. This can include disciplinary action up to dismissal, and referral to the authorities when a crime may have happened.

5. 5

   We inform our donors and partners when our agreements require it, without sharing survivors’ identities.

6. 6

   We learn from every case to make AWA safer.

Our promises to survivors and to people who report