Talk in light of #MeToo #AidToo at Netherlands Red Cross

1. Safe and inclusive workplaces and operations
By Tina Tinde, Gender and Diversity Coordinator
Lunch meeting with all staff
The Netherlands Red Cross
The Hague, 17 July 2018

2. Staying safe during this session:
 content can be heavy and saddening
 may elicit memories or past experiences
 you can talk to the facilitator in the break for
support
Content Warning

3. Video on gender-based violence against
women aid workers
When helping others becomes a threat: gender-based violence in the
humanitarian sector
https://www.equaltimes.org/when-helping-others-becomes-
a#.W0jF6NJf2yo

4. Findings by the Humanitarian Women’s
Network study on harassment and abuse
against staff
 In 2016, the Humanitarian Women’s Network surveyed some
1,000 UN and NGO field workers from across 70
organizations on their experience with sexual abuse and
harassment in the workplace.
 The survey revealed widespread harassment and abuse,
from explicit sexual comments, to sexual assault and rape.

5. Findings by the Humanitarian Women’s
Network study on harassment and abuse
against staff
 Over half of all physical aggressions were committed by
a supervisor, and the majority of the respondents
reported limited support from their respective
Organization or efforts to make them feel safe.
 69% of women did not report discrimination, harassment
or abuse because of a fear of professional
consequences, lack of trust in the system or an absence
of a mechanism to report.

6. Women’s Security Awareness Training

7. Gaps found by IASC study on harassment and
abuse against staff
 Assistance to Victims/Survivors: only half of the policies
defined assistance and remedy provided to victims. In
many cases, it appeared that staff were not proactively
referred to existing services upon making a complaint,
but had to seek out the information themselves. Less
than half of the respondents reported providing legal
support to victims where appropriate.
 https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-senior-
focal-points-sexual-harassment-and-abuse-aid-
workers/documents/report-activities

8. Gaps found by IASC study on harassment and
abuse against staff
 Data and analysis on incidence and prevalence was not
always available. There seemed to be no record of
cases dealt with through informal processes. Less than
half of the organizations reported making aggregated
data public regularly.
 Perception of Staff: there appeared to be no regular
efforts to assess perceptions around security, trust in the
system, effectiveness of policies (whistle-blower, zero
tolerance).

9. Gaps found by IASC study on harassment and
abuse against staff
 Assistance to Victims/Survivors: only half of the policies
defined assistance and remedy provided to victims. In
many cases, it appeared that staff were not proactively
referred to existing services upon making a complaint,
but had to seek out the information themselves. Less
than half of the respondents reported providing legal
support to victims where appropriate.
 Extending policies to implementing partners: only 3
organizations explicitly indicated that they stipulated that
contracting or implementing partners were required to
abide by the policy requirements.

10. Gaps found by IASC study on harassment and
abuse against staff
 Staff Awareness/accessibility of reporting mechanisms:
most organisations did not seem to regularly assess
whether staff were aware of different discipline regimes
and reporting procedures. They appeared to rely on staff
reading and refreshing their own knowledge on the
existing policy/ies.
 Some organizations explicitly indicated that they were
unable to assess staff’s awareness and understanding
on using reporting mechanisms. Only 4 organizations
reported efforts to clearly identify and train focal points
to receive complaints.

11. Gaps found by IASC study on harassment and
abuse against staff
 Perpetrators: no information was provided on sanctions
applied to perpetrators. Whilst some organizations
explicitly confirmed that misconduct was recorded in
employee files, mechanisms to share this information
were not reported.
 Holding managers accountable: most organizations did
not confirm whether there were measures in place to
hold managers accountable for communicating the
policy effectively to staff, or explaining the policy. Some
entities noted that they had no way to effectively
measure managers’ responsibility to create an
environment free of sexual harassment and abuse.

12. Women’s Security Awareness Training

13.  Across the humanitarian sector, 76 incidents of
sexual violence against humanitarians were
reported to Insecurity Insight between January
2015 and March 2017, a number considered to
be the tip of the iceberg
 https://www.eisf.eu/news/five-guidelines-how-to-
address-sexual-violence-alert/

14. 1. Consult staff about their concerns
2. Share information horizontally
3. Train your staff
4. Evaluate on-boarding materials
5. Evaluate existing security protocols
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

15. 1. Consult staff about their concerns
Start a discussion with male and female staff –
international and national – about their concerns,
fears, and ideas for preventing incidents of sexual
violence.
Be open to the experiences of these staff members,
even if these does not match a reality you
understand or operate in.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

16.  Traditional approaches to the prevention of sexual
violence have focused on what staff members –
typically female staff members – should not do, for
example, dress inappropriately, take taxis, drink
alcohol.
 Current approaches avoid this victim-blaming
approach, which encouraged rape myths, instead
favouring a focus on stopping perpetrators and
promoting community prevention methods
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

17. 2. Share information horizontally
 Some key considerations surrounding security
incident information sharing is discussed in the
second chapter of the ‘Security Incident Information
Management Handbook’ published by Insecurity
Insight, RedR UK and The European Interagency
Security Forum (EISF).
 Where possible, information should be shared with
respect for anonymity through local NGO security
forums, UNDSS, or security risk management teams,
as well as other none security coordination platforms.
This can reduce concerns regarding the exposure of
or retaliation against survivors of sexual violence
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

18. Train your staff
 Proactively seek and undertake training on the subject
of sexual violence, including how it can occur and its
impact at the individual and organisational level. It is
important to become comfortable with the concept of
discussing sexual violence as a real risk that might be
faced by any of your staff members.
 Develop the skills necessary to speak to survivors in a
manner that does not traumatise them, recognising
that anyone on the staff might be might be a first point
of contact when incidents occur
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

19.  Everyone within your organisation should understand
and be prepared to address sexual violence issues.
Psychological first aid training is readily available and
helps staff support others who have had a traumatic
experience.
 Creating an environment where sexual violence can
be openly discussed is the responsibility of all staff
members, but particularly those in roles of authority,
such as safety and security personnel.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

20. 4. Evaluate on-boarding materials
 How is sexual violence as a risk mentioned in relevant
materials related to different roles?
 For those working in safety and security, this may
include security briefings, on-boarding materials, and
context packages. Consider how sexual violence, as a
risk, will be presented to all staff members –
international and national, male and female – at on-
boarding as well as continuously throughout their
mission.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

21.  Raising the fact that sexual violence is a risk from the
start of recruitment can significantly reduce feelings of
shame and the perception of stigma.
 This also helps to build an environment where acts of
misconduct are less likely to occur, as knowing there
are measures in place may discourage potential
perpetrators.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

22. 5. Evaluate existing security protocols
 Evaluate the extent to which sexual violence is
integrated into existing security protocols, including
the reporting of incidents and post-incident
procedures.
 Where necessary, consider the development of a
code word for radio reporting of sexual violence
incidents, as the confidentiality of survivors will not be
maintained if the word ‘rape’ or terms to describe
other forms of sexual violence are communicated
through the radio room.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

23.  Consideration should also be given to the
classification of evacuations or relocation after an
incident of sexual violence (i.e. how do we
communicate the type of or reason for the evacuation:
general vs. administrative vs. health reasons), and the
impact that this classification might have on the
privacy of the survivor.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

24.  Consultation with staff members – in particular
female staff members – can improve the quality
of security protocols regarding sexual violence. It
is essential to ensure that such protocols are
sensitive and responsive to survivors, as the
impact and treatment of survivors after an
incident of sexual violence can have a profound
impact on their recovery process.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

25.  While reflecting on how to appropriately respond to
survivors is essential, it is also necessary to consider
the investigation process and how alleged
perpetrators will be treated during that process.
 A balance must be struck between believing survivors
and ensuring that perpetrators are not condemned
before facts can be established.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

26.  Your organisation may want the perpetrator or survivor
to remain in country during the course of the
investigation or be provided with (paid or unpaid)
leave.
 Think carefully about who will conduct the
investigation. If this is done in-house, measures must
be taken to ensure that conflict of interest does not
interfere with accountability.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

27.  Your organisation should develop a policy regarding
what action is taken against individuals within your
organisation found to have committed acts of sexual
violence. Assess when or if national legal systems
should be contacted but be aware that the survivor’s
wishes should always be respected.
 These issues are vital to consider before an incident
of sexual violence occurs. Making decisions after an
incident will significantly increase the likelihood of the
case being mishandled, resulting in traumatised
survivors and the creation of a work environment
where accountability will be seen to not exist.
Recommendations by Megan Nobert

28. Women’s Security Awareness Training –
training modules

29. Questions, comments?
Contact: tina.tinde@ifrc.org