Oxfam recently conducted three orientation sessions on safeguarding for 86 partners, involving a total of 130 people comprising executive directors, program directors, HR and finance managers, to promote safeguarding and improve policy and legal compliance in the workplace.
Oxfam is committed to zero tolerance of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse. We do everything in our power to prevent these from happening, and rigorously address each incident every time it happens.
Eight policy pillars were provided during the orientation, including Oxfam’s code of conduct, its child safeguarding policy, anti-bullying and harassment policy, sexual diversity and gender identity rights, protection from sexual exploitation and abuse, speak up protocol, anti-corruption policy as well as the terrorism financing and financial crime issue.
Zero Tolerance to Improve the Working Environment
Mr Kanika Chan, HR Manager of Oxfam, during the orientation. Photo: Naratevy Kek/Oxfam
“Some partners already have some of these policies, though not yet in detail, while others are still working on it,” said Mr Kanika Chan, HR manager of Oxfam. “This orientation initiative helps them to reflect on their policies and start working to refine them or develop them if they don’t yet have them in place.”
Ms Tepphallin Ou, chairperson of the Cambodian Food and Service Workers Federation (CFSWF), said that “today’s training will help us to do a check list on what we have, what we need to update and what else we need to develop in accordance with the current situation.”
“The new term and one of the important policies I noted today focused on harassment, bullying and sexual exploitation and abuse,” she added. “We need to pay more attention to it.”
Tep Phallin said her organization does not yet have a policy on safeguarding at the workplace as she lacks the resources to develop it. Thus, after the training she will be looking at refining and developing some policies, which do not require many resources, such as harassment and setting up a complaint mechanism. “I’d never thought of this before,” she said.
Oxfam plans to conduct the consultative workshop on policy formulation with partners later this year. This will in return, feels Kanika, help partners to improve their governance and working environment.
Text by: Naratevy Kek/Oxfam