Summary:
For staff, volunteers and clients, this document defines the prevention strategies RiverKids Project has in place against child abuse occurring in our project.
RiverKids Project works with children and families vulnerable to trafficking. Almost all of the children and adults in our project have experienced abuse, including sexual abuse.

What is Child Abuse?

Child abuse includes:

Physical abuse
• Hitting
• Pinching
• Slapping
• Caning

Sexual abuse
• Sexual contact with any RiverKids clients by staff or volunteers, regardless of the client’s age, gender or the client’s agreement.
• Inappropriate sexual discussion with children in RiverKids care outside of official RiverKids sex education guidelines.
• Sexual behaviour on RiverKids’ premises

Emotional abuse
• Verbal harassment of clients intended to humiliate or punish them
• Threats of physical or sexual abuse
• Bullying, including from a child to another child.

Note:
A violent child carefully restrained from hurting other children or a child scolded for late homework would not be considered instances of abuse.
The final arbitrater of whether an event is abusive will be the Program Director and two Program Consultants.

What happens to staff and volunteers who abuse children?

Immediate dismissal of staff or volunteers:
• Any sexual abuse.
• Any physical abuse that results in injury to a child
• Any physical or emotional abuse that is considered by the Program Director and two Program Consultants to be serious.

First warning:
• Any physical or emotional abuse that is considered by the Program Director and two Program Consultants to require a warning and corrective training, as determined by the Program Director and two Program Consultants.
• A second event of abuse means immediate suspension of the staff or volunteers, pending a decision by the Program Director and two Program Consultants for immediate dismissal or corrective training.

What happens if clients abuse other clients?

Clients that are abusive to other clients, adult or child, may be, on the decision of the Program Director and two Program Consultants:
• Removed from the RiverKids Project client list
• Warned and counseled
• Warned and suspended, with corrective training

Note:
With child clients, RiverKids Project will allow multiple suspensions and counseling, resorting to removal only as a last resort.
Children of adult clients removed for abuse will not be automatically removed as well.

What happens if clients abuse staff or volunteers?

A certain level of verbal abuse can be expected from adult and child clients at RiverKids Project.

However, any other event of sexual, physical or emotional abuse from clients towards staff or volunteers must be reported to the Program Director for immediate discussion and action, as decided by the Program Director and two Program Consultants.

Reporting Abuse

Staff and volunteers who witness abuse, from other staff, volunteers or clients, are required to report the event to the Program Director within 48 hours.

Reports may be submitted verbally then written, or written only.

Reports cannot be anonymous. However, the Program Director is only required to share the reporter’s name with the two Program Consultants and if the reporter would be harmed, may refuse to name the reporter to anyone else.

An example Abuse Report is attached at the end of this document.

The abuse victim cannot be forced to interview or be photographed, but must give consent first.

When victims are children, their parents or guardians should be notified the same day, if they are not the abusers and the notification does not put the child at further risk of abuse.

Sexual abuse:

Sexual abuse events, wherever possible, should be handled by staff of the same gender and with two staff present.

Physical abuse:
Physical abuse injuries, wherever possible, should be photographed.

Note:
Serious physical or sexual abuse events will be reported to the police.

Abuse training
RiverKids Project staff and volunteers will be trained in abuse prevention strategies, both internally in staff training and mentoring, and through enrollment in external training.
RiverKids Project will conduct annual and semi-annual training sessions for RiverKids Project clients on abuse prevention.

Background checks for staff and volunteers
All staff and volunteers must produce police clearance from their own country before they can work directly with RiverKids Project clients.
Cambodian resident staff and volunteers must produce written and telephone references from their previous employer attesting to their good character. These must be followed up by Riverkids Project staff to verify.

Clients reporting abuse
Child clients are especially vulnerable to abuse from adult staff, volunteers and other adult clients. To encourage abuse reporting and awareness, RiverKids Project will:
• Display prominently anti-abuse posters and materials on the RiverKids Project premises
• Tell the children in weekly school meetings of their rights and how to report abuse
• Make sure each child client has access to a staff or volunteer of either gender to report abuse
• Inform parents of the anti-abuse guidelines and encourage them to report abuse directly (in-person at offices, through written complaints or telephone complaints) to the Program Director or to the Program Consultants.
• To combat sexual abuse, specific sex-education and anti-trafficking classes for the children are planned semi-annually.

Abuse Report

Date:

Victim:

Abuser:
Child client
Adult client
Staff
Volunteer
Other

Brief description of abuse:

Detailed description of abuse:
(please attach photographs)

Report submitted to:
On date:

Discussion by Program Director and two Program Directors:
Signatures:
On date:

Follow-up action: