Child Protection Policy

At ECHR, we are committed to providing a safe and secure environment for all children and
young people who come into contact with our organization.
We prioritize their welfare and affirm our responsibility as an organization in ensuring that we provide a safe and
secure environment for children and young people to grow and develop.
This policy has been developed to ensure that we fulfil our legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities to protect children and young people
from harm and abuse during their engagement with our organization.

Scope of Child Protection Policy

This policy applies to all individuals associated with ECHR including staff, volunteers, interns, affiliated representatives and all other third parties involved in any organization-managed activities who come into contact with children or young people.

Recruitment and Vetting of Personnel Working with Children and Young People

Our child protection procedures begin with the vetting and recruitment procedures for individuals working with children and young people that include volunteers, staff, and trainees.

Our recruitment strategy includes thorough background checks to ensure that all those who have access to children and young people are safe to work with them. This includes background checks, reference checks, and endorsement checks of the same caliber.

Any individual whose background checks reveal issues that can impact the safety of children and young people will not be able to participate in any activities that involve children and young people.

Staff Training and Development

We commit to providing our staff with ongoing training and development opportunities to help them understand the organizations responsibilities for safeguarding the welfare and rights of children and young people.

The training will cover the identification of potential risks or safeguarding-related issues facing children and young people as well as appropriate courses of action to follow in case of a suspicion.

Reporting Procedures and Measures

Our child protection policy includes clear and transparent procedures for reporting child protection- related incidents, suspicions, and allegations affecting children and young people in contact with ECHR.

The policy includes clear guidelines on the steps to be taken if a child has been harmed or is deemed to be at risk of harm. Staff are encouraged to report incidents promptly to designated authorities and follow the procedures for reporting.

Transparency and Accessibility of Policy

Our child protection policy is publicly available and accessible to everyone who comes into contact with our organization. It is visible on our website and all of our child-oriented activities or events, and all members of our organization have are required to read and follow its contents.

We acknowledge that safeguarding the welfare and outcome of children and young people is our organization’s top priority, and we dedicate ourselves to upholding and implementing this policy.

This Child Protection Policy is guided by:

• 1. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989, Article 19) which seeks to ‘protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.’
• 2. UNICEF’s Child Protection and Procedures Tool Kit.