7. Prioritize child safety
Although many programs are promoted as supporting children, those same programs sometimes undermine the rights of children. These questions are important to ask if your volunteer programs include interactions with children for any period of time.
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Vetting Partner Organizations and Projects |
- Are proper child-safety rules a priority when vetting partner organizations?
- Have the emotional/psychological effects of rotating short term care and interaction been assessed?
- Does the organization allow any unannounced foreigner to visit its projects and interact with the children?
- Based on the amount of support coming to the organization, do the children seem to be well taken care of to the best of the staff's abilities? (Are there any signs that children are kept “looking poor” to attract more support?)
- Will a staff member of the organization always be present when volunteers are interacting with children? (What will the volunteer to local staff ratio be?)
- Are children required to entertain or perform for visiting guests? (If so, how often? What do these performances entail? Can it be viewed as another form of child labor?)
- For long term visitors: are background and reference checks required?
- For short term visitors: are the guests monitored at all times and never allowed to be alone with a child?
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Educating Volunteer Participants |
- Are participants informed about the organization’s policies regarding children?
- Is there training, or at least information for volunteers on child rights best practices?
- Are camera policies discussed regarding photographing children?
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revision note: to be added later