Staff members of any NGOs working with refugees, displaced people and local host populations are invited to apply to participate in the five-day Investigations workshop on complaints mechanisms and conducting investigations. (Maximum 2 staff members per NGO.)

Background

Reports of exploitation and abuse in refugee camps in West Africa and Nepal in 2002, demonstrated that NGOs working with persons of concern must anticipate and be prepared to respond to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) by members of staff. In response, NGOs came together to assess their capacity to respond to complaints of staff misconduct. These assessments identified inconsistencies and gaps in their policies to adequately prevent and respond to SEA of persons of concern. Consequently, NGOs agreed to develop standardised resources for promoting complaints mechanisms, training investigators and sensitising managers to the problem of SEA by staff. This initiative evolved into the Building Safer Organisations project (BSO).

The Building Safer Organisations Project

BSO, managed by the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA), helps NGOs achieve greater accountability by;

- promoting implementation of common standards on preventing and responding to SEA, namely, the UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, and the IASC draft Model Complaints and Investigation Procedures and Guidance Related to Sexual Abuse and Sexual Exploitation ;
- training NGO staff through BSO Learning Programmes on conducting and managing investigations;
- producing materials on complaints mechanisms, investigation procedures and investigation management.

The BSO secretariat has published Guidelines on complaints mechanisms and investigation procedures, and a Training Handbook containing the Investigation and Managing an Investigation Learning Programmes. Both manuals will be available at www.icva.ch.

Investigation workshop

The aim of the Investigations workshop is to demonstrate how to conduct investigations into allegations of SEA of people of concern by NGO staff and to promote best practice within organisations. The five-day Investigations workshop is a component of the BSO Investigation Learning Programme, which comprises of five phases namely, pre-workshop assignments, Investigations workshop, Investigation case study, Investigations follow-up workshop, and on-going support for professional development.

Participants of the Learning Programme must demonstrate a commitment to protection of persons of concern from SEA and work directly with host populations.

Please ensure that applicants meet the attached criteria.

Location and date

The Investigations workshop will be held in Port Dickson, Malaysia from 19th – 23rd March, 2007. The workshop will accommodate approximately 15 participants. At least half of the places will be allocated to staff from national NGOs in the region and gender balance will be a consideration in the selection of participants.

Agenda

This five-day workshop will explore basic investigation techniques and practical applications of these concepts. It is oriented towards mid-level and senior colleagues designated to conduct investigations. A detailed agenda will be forwarded to selected participants prior to the workshop.

Cost

Attendance and accommodation for out of town participants are free. Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will also be provided. Organisations are asked to cover dinners and travel costs to the workshop location. Please note, the Project does have limited funds available to assist small, local NGOs who do not have the resources to cover all travel costs for their staff to attend. In such cases NGOs should contact the Project secretariat requesting funding assistance.

Application form and pre-workshop assignments

It is essential for participants to complete the enclosed application form and return it no later than February 2nd, 2007 to intern@icva.ch or call 0041 22 950 9601. The application form provides essential information on participants’ knowledge on the issue and allows facilitators to adjust the workshop accordingly.
Once participants are selected they will be provided with 4 pre-workshop assignments. They will be requested to complete and submit their responses one week prior to the commencement of the workshop. Completion of the pre-workshop assignments is mandatory and ensures that all participants share a basic knowledge of the materials.

Contact

Should you have further queries contact the Project secretariat as noted above. Thank you for your interest. We look forward to receiving your applications .