Hi5 Safe Spaces Ethics Framework

Safeguarding Policy

Introduction

HumanImpact5–Hi5 is a Swiss-based Limited Liability Company (LLC). HumanImpact5–Hi5 (hereafter referred to as Hi5 Safe Spaces) offers bespoke services, tailored to the unique needs of our clients and partners. Whether public, private, or non-profit sector work, we commit to ensuring that the highest standards of safeguarding, including child safeguarding, are upheld by our staff, consultants, interns, volunteers, clients, and service providers. As we are, at times, in contact with people in vulnerable situations, we are adamant about protecting physical and psychological safety. Because we work as ombudspersons, safeguarding focal points, investigators, and trainers – in some cases working on child safeguarding and more broadly on prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, including of adults – this policy serves to ensure that we uphold and model the principles, policies, and practices that we serve to promote and protect.

Zero tolerance

We do not tolerate any form of fraud or corruption of or by our staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers. We staunchly uphold our duty of care. We also do not tolerate complaints that are made with malicious intent, nor do we tolerate retaliation against anyone who files a complaint in good faith.

What we value

We value trust, courage, safety, and rigour. We care for the people for whom and with whom we work. We build and maintain psychological safety and trust in the ways that we work, listen, and communicate, including during moments of crisis or in the face of any difficult issues.

We learn

This policy will evolve over time, and learnings from our own experience and that of others, will continuously feed into our ethics framework (including our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy, Safeguarding Policy, and Code of Conduct and Ethics).

Aim of this policy

As consultants, ombudspersons, trainers, safeguarding reference persons, and investigators, Hi5 Safe Spaces holds itself to the highest ethical standards, including independence, confidentiality, and integrity. With this in mind, we aim to merit and maintain the trust of those who engage with us. This policy is one tool by which the trust of those we serve is safeguarded.

Policy scope, definitions, concrete examples

Safeguarding from sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (also moral), for the purposes of this policy, covers staff / consultant / intern / volunteer interactions; staff / consultant / intern / volunteer to client interactions and vice versa; staff / consultant / intern / volunteer to service provider interactions and vice versa; and also covers any interactions we may have through our projects with children and vulnerable adults.

This policy covers the following forms of misconduct:

  • Moral harassment: While no unified definition exists for moral harassment, the following is considered as moral harassment by Hi5 Safe Spaces based on various sources. Moral harassment includes any form of abuse of power, hostile or intimidating remarks or acts that may or may not be repeated over time, that aim to destabilize or marginalize someone from the work or activity at hand. In the virtual workplace, this also covers publishing online any rumours, misinformation, negative remarks or threats.
  • Examples of unaccepted behaviours: constant interruptions, shouting, refusing contact, not greeting a person, spreading rumours, mockery, humiliation, insults, assigning tasks that are either far below or far above the terms of reference, enforcing excessive workload, threatening or carrying out physical violence, doxing, online threats, or discrimination.
  • Sexual harassment: Based on Swiss law, sexual harassment (in the workplace) is defined as any harassing behaviour of a sexual nature or other behaviour related to the person’s gender that adversely affects the dignity of people in the workplace. For Hi5 Safe Spaces, this means any discrimination that is based on sex, gender, physical appearance, or sexual orientation and covers unwanted coercion, sexual advances, homophobic or transphobic remarks or behaviours, or sexist jokes or putdowns. It also includes threats, the promise of advantages, the use of coercion and the exertion of pressure in order to obtain favours of a sexual nature.
  • Examples of unaccepted behaviours: Insinuating and suggestive remarks about someone’s appearance; sexist comments or jokes about sexual characteristics, sexual behaviour, or sexuality of any person; jokes about homosexual or transgender people; showing or displaying pornographic material in the workplace; issuing unwanted invitations of a sexual nature; any unwanted bodily contact; stalking; offering promises of advantage or threat of disadvantage stipulated upon sexual favours; sexual assault, coercion or rape.
  • Sexual exploitation: ‘Actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, power, or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.’ This also refers to any sexual relations with a child (anyone under 18 years of age). This includes cyber forms of sexual exploitation.
  • Sexual abuse: ‘Actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions.’ This also refers to any sexual relations with a child (anyone under 18 years of age). Examples of sexual exploitation and abuse: sexual assault; making sex a condition for assistance or work, blackmailing someone into having sex, forcing sex, forcing someone to have sex with anyone, forcing a person to engage in prostitution or pornography, unwanted touching of a sexual nature.

 

We encourage prevention and reporting

Everyone has a role to play when sexual (or other forms of ) harassment, sexual exploitation or abuse is suspected or witnessed. We commit to making the world a safer place for vulnerable persons and aim to build the competencies needed to be responsible and active bystanders.

Prevention

Hi5 Safe Spaces provides annual ethics framework training sessions to staff, consultants, interns, and volunteers, including for diversity and inclusion, ethics, and safeguarding. Our service providers are invited to participate, and collaborating organizations are asked to participate should they not have an equivalent framework within their own respective organization.

We conduct reference checks on our staff, consultants, interns, and volunteers with targeted questions related to safeguarding. Safeguarding consultants and staff undergo background checks (no interns or volunteers will conduct safeguarding activities).

Response

Any safeguarding issues by Hi5 Safe Spaces staff, consultants, interns, or volunteers can and should be reported safely to: ethics@hi5safespaces.ch

At the time of this policy writing, the above email is solely managed by the company administrator, Gabrielle Landry Chappuis, who is trained in safeguarding, person of trust, and safeguarding investigations. Should reporting to the company administrator not be possible
for any reason, the following email can be used: eric.maeder(at)ethico.ch, which will be sent to Eric Maeder, ethics specialist. Should an investigation be warranted, Hi5 Safe Spaces will mandate an external, independent investigator.

All of the behaviours in this policy are considered serious misconduct, are not tolerated by Hi5 Safe Spaces, and once verified will lead to sanctions, including contract termination, or when necessary will be referred to the relevant authorities.

This policy is part of the Hi5 Safe Spaces Ethics Framework and is signed by all Hi5 Safe Spaces staff, consultants, interns, and volunteers.

 

2nd Edition

Approved by HumanImpact5 – HI5 LLC Administrator
18 January 2023