Keeping people safe at Oxfam — safeguarding

Ensuring survivors can report abuse in confidence – and that they get the support they need – is paramount. We want survivors, past and present, to continue to come forward and report allegations and we know this can be painful and traumatic. We’ve endeavoured to make the process more accessible and to be survivor-centred in our approach and will continue to seek improvements.
Specialist safeguarding staff are also working on the ground where they are most needed – for example, Oxfam has two safeguarding specialist humanitarian support personnel who, when travel is not restricted, are deployed into countries to provide additional safeguarding support. We also have at least one dedicated safeguarding focal point in place in every country where Oxfam works.

We have improved our understanding and management of the risks posed by our work to ensure that all those involved with our humanitarian and development programs can participate more safely. The approach, known as Safe Programming, includes training and toolkits for staff and partners as well as conducting research within communities so that we are more accountable.
Despite making progress, we have identified gaps in our understanding that we must continue to proactively address. Over the last year, Oxfam has conducted research in three countries (Ghana, Iraq and Myanmar) to deepen our understanding of the common issues and barriers that prevent people from speaking out. This has helped us to understand how we can further improve our approach to keeping people safe.

The coronavirus pandemic has necessitated an urgent review of our existing plans. The risks related to sexual exploitation and abuse are heightened in the face of stress, fear, economic uncertainty, and chaotic environments. At the same time, the barriers to reporting and challenges have also increased. Oxfam is acting fast to adapt to this new context. In response to COVID-19 restrictions, we created online safeguarding training tools to ensure that staff, volunteers, and partners are provided with effective support and training during this period.

Oxfam has established a Global Safeguarding Shared Service with all Oxfam affiliates – networking safeguarding specialists from across the Oxfam confederation. Oxfam Australia’s Safeguarding Manager is an active member of this shared service.
Oxfam has introduced a new electronic record-keeping system for all cases. This secure central database is used by all Oxfam affiliates to build information and evidence of potential crimes. We’re also working together to ensure everyone follows the same procedures.
Our policies in reporting potential crimes to police and local authorities are clearer and have been developed with guidance from survivors.
We are working with the wider aid sector to stop perpetrators from moving on unchecked to other roles and organisations. Oxfam is leading work with other agencies to better share information about offenders. Here at Oxfam Australia, we work within a referencing system that ensures only approved managers can provide job references for people leaving the organisation.

We know that tackling abuse and exploitation in our programs is not enough. We must live our values throughout the organisation by examining our own attitudes and behaviours and by changing power structures to prevent the abuse of power which is often at the heart of sexual exploitation and abuse cases.
As part of our commitment to improve our culture and ensure that all staff understand and share our values, our recruitment processes and interviews now include mandatory questions on values, safeguarding and feminist principles. We have also raised awareness and understanding among staff of how to challenge negative behaviours and misconduct, including concerns of bullying and harassment.
Safeguarding training is mandatory for Oxfam staff around the world, and all staff and volunteers sign a code of conduct when they start working with us.
We are committed to transparency and will continue to report regularly on our progress. A breakdown of completed Oxfam Australia safeguarding cases is provided in our annual report. Every six months, we contribute to a public report on all safeguarding cases across the Oxfam confederation.
We’re committed to sharing information openly, ensuring public reputation is never put before the safety of people we are responsible for.