Safeguarding Resource Centre
Welcome to the Safeguarding Resource Centre, a dedicated space for leaders of civil society organisations in Eswatini to learn how to create safer organisations, especially for children and vulnerable people. This space is designed to provide you with essential tools and knowledge to reflect on how power is distributed and wielded in your organisation, how to assess safeguarding risks, and how you can protect and be accountable for the safety and wellbeing of your community members, especially children and vulnerable people.
By clicking through the links below, you can access a curated selection of international standards and practical tools, including the IASC Six Core Principles and Minimum Operating Standards for protecting against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. You will find high quality advice about how to develop a code of conduct, how to establish safer recruitment practices, how to handle complaints, receive incident reports and manage investigations. Access to certified training like UNICEF’s PSEA e-learning course is also available.
This Safeguarding Resource Centre is a shared knowledge base. Policies and tools developed by non-government organisations in Eswatini are generously shared here to inspire and equip you to improve your own practices. We invite you and your team to utilise these resources to establish a solid baseline for ethical conduct, ensuring your work remains safe, accountable, and deeply rooted in a clear understanding of power dynamics, towards upholding the rights of children and vulnerable people. If you have developed a policy or tool that you would like to share here, please contact info@thubelihle.org / media@likusasa.org
Introduction to International standards
The Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) is the longest-standing and highest-level humanitarian coordination forum of the United Nations system. It brings together the executive heads of 19 organizations and consortia to formulate policy, set strategic priorities and mobilize resources in response to humanitarian crises.
The IASC specifies:
six core principles relating to sexual exploitation and abuse, minimum operating standards for protecting against sexual exploitation and abuse by own personnel and The IASC also offers a toolkit for investigating allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Understanding power
Foundational to safeguarding is a clear understanding of how power is wielded within an organisation. This section provides a practical guide to power analysis to help teams reflect on their internal dynamics and community interactions.
Guidance for the development of safeguarding and other related policies
Creating a solid regulatory framework is essential for ethical conduct. Users can access resources for developing safeguarding policies, including specific child protection review checklists to ensure all organisational documents meet safety requirements.
Guidance for assessing safeguarding risks
Proactive safety requires identifying potential dangers before they occur. This heading directs leaders toward essential tools for assessing risks related to the wellbeing of their community members and personnel.
Guidance for managing complaints and investigations
Transparency and accountability are maintained through clear reporting structures. This section provides best-practice guides for developing complaint-handling policies, managing incident reports, and utilizing toolkits for investigating allegations of misconduct.
Safer recruitment
Safeguarding begins before a staff member is hired. This resource highlights safer recruitment practices and links to the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme to help prevent individuals with a history of abuse from moving between organisations.
Training and additional resources
UNICEF offers a free e-learning course on PSEA. A certificate is issued upon successful completion of the course. It may be reasonable to ask all board members to complete this course within one month of being appointed to the board (and submit the certificate as proof of completion). Completing the course will ensure shared understanding of key concepts and establish a solid baseline for subsequent discussion of PELUM’s approach to safeguarding. The course takes about 90 minutes to complete.