Purpose and scope
We prohibit harm to children and failure to prevent, report or respond to harm. A child’s safety, best interests and dignity take priority over project delivery or organisational reputation. This policy covers governing bodies, staff, volunteers, consultants, contractors, partners and visitors acting for the organisation, in person and online. An adult-focused project can still involve contact with children.
Definitions and inclusion
A child is anyone under 18. Abuse and harm include physical, emotional or sexual abuse, neglect, grooming, trafficking, exploitative labour, forced or child marriage, online exploitation and exposure to violence. Assess barriers related to disability, language, displacement, gender and poverty. Enable children to express needs and concerns safely in ways suited to their age and communication requirements.
Accountability and readiness
The Board oversees this policy and resources its implementation. Before an activity involving contact with children begins, it must appoint a safeguarding lead and an independent alternate in writing. Published reporting contacts receive concerns. Once constituted and appointed, the Oversight and Compliance Body monitors compliance and excludes implicated members from case decisions. The project manager maintains risk assessments, team briefings and partner follow-up. Appointments, training and acknowledgements must be documented; publication does not establish that these steps are complete.
Risk assessment and safe delivery
Complete a risk assessment before activities, review it at least annually and when the location, team, participants or incidents change. Cover home visits, transport, waiting areas, facilities, images, online contact and partners. Apply DFAT Essential Standards to incidental or minimal contact and Comprehensive Standards before direct, sustained or significant contact, which may occur even in a single encounter. Arrange visits with consent, involve a responsible adult where safe, keep interactions observable and avoid unnecessary isolation. Keep tools and hazardous materials away from children.
Mandatory code of conduct
Personnel must use respectful language and professional boundaries. Corporal punishment, humiliation, threats and gifts used for grooming are prohibited. Sexual activity with anyone under 18 is prohibited; mistaken belief about age is not an excuse. Buying, possessing, producing or sharing child exploitation material, secretive or sexual communications, and harmful child labour are prohibited. Personal care, solo transport or private overnight arrangements require a legitimate documented need and approved safeguards; overnight arrangements are limited to absolute necessity with supervisor approval and another adult present where possible. Do not invite an unaccompanied child into a private home unless needed to protect against immediate injury. Record emergency exceptions immediately. Immediately disclose relevant allegations, convictions and investigations concerning exploitation or abuse. Report concerns and code breaches without waiting for conclusive proof.
Safer recruitment and training
Check identity, professional references, employment gaps and relevant history lawfully and in proportion to the role. Obtain police checks or appropriate local alternatives where required and document limitations and mitigation. For DFAT Essential Standards only, a documented self-declaration may be used when alternatives are unavailable under the applicable policy; it is not an automatic substitute under Comprehensive Standards. Do not assign direct contact while unacceptable risk remains. Personnel sign the code before starting and receive induction and annual role-appropriate training, with attendance and understanding recorded.
Receiving and reporting concerns
Listen calmly without leading questions, interrogation or promises of absolute secrecy. Explain in accessible language what happens next and who needs the information. Do not require a child to prove the incident or confront the person concerned. Anonymous and supported reports are accepted and a form is not required. Report to muntalaq-alnahda@greatiraq.com or call +9647729942312. If the concern involves the recipient, or the primary route is unsafe, contact Zahraa Ali Fuad, Head of the Organisation, directly at iraqi.development.organization@gmail.com or +9647812335224. If both recipients are implicated, the case must go to unconflicted members of the Oversight and Compliance Body or Founding Body once that body and its appointments are confirmed. An independent donor reporting route may also be used where applicable.
Response and referral
Where danger is immediate, prioritise safety and urgent medical help and use appropriate local emergency services. Put proportionate interim restrictions on harmful contact without presuming guilt. Record necessary facts in the reporter’s words and the time received; preserve evidence without circulating it. An unconflicted lead assesses support and referral with safe participation by the child and a safe caregiver, while meeting legal reporting duties. Personnel must not conduct a criminal investigation or mediate between a child and the subject of a complaint. Any administrative investigation must be assigned to a qualified, impartial person.
Concerns connected with DFAT
Any suspected, alleged or known child exploitation, abuse or harm connected with DFAT business must be reported immediately and within 24 hours to childprotection@dfat.gov.au, using DFAT’s notification form where possible. Do not wait for a completed investigation or management permission. Seek informed consent before sharing survivor-identifying details, subject to legal duties and the child’s best interests. Where consent or safety is uncertain, send a de-identified initial notification within 24 hours and seek DFAT guidance. Share necessary information securely and report investigation outcomes and required updates. People may report directly to DFAT. This route does not replace emergency response or local legal duties.
Images and information
Photography and publicity consent must never be a condition of assistance. Obtain informed consent from a safe caregiver and the child’s agreement appropriate to age and capacity, explaining purpose, audience, withdrawal and limits on removing redistributed copies. Do not publish degrading images or identifying, location or health details that expose a child to risk. Minimise data, restrict access and keep case details out of group messages and personal storage accounts.
Partners, accountability and review
Include safeguarding, reporting and conduct requirements in relevant agreements. Assess partner capacity before activities and monitor corrective actions. Breaches may lead to restrictions, suspension, termination or lawful referral, with fair procedures. Retaliation against good-faith reporters is prohibited even when an allegation is not substantiated. The Board reviews this policy annually and after a serious incident or changed donor requirements, drawing on safe and appropriate participant feedback.
Document control
Policy owner: Board of Directors, under Article 53 of the approved internal bylaws. Review at least annually and after significant changes. Arabic and English versions are equivalent; resolve any ambiguity without weakening protection.
Official references used in preparation: