Protection from exploitation, abuse and harassment

The hardest module in this course, and the least negotiable.

Sexual exploitation is using a position of power, trust or another person’s need to obtain a sexual benefit. Sexual abuse is any assault or threat of one. The rules below are absolute in humanitarian work: no exception, no cultural interpretation, and no consent from the other party changes them.

Any sexual activity with a person under eighteen is prohibited, and no claim about age or consent is accepted
Exchanging any sexual favour for assistance, a service, a job or the promise of one is absolutely prohibited
Relationships with people we serve are prohibited, because the power gap makes free consent impossible
Harassment of any kind — verbal, physical or digital — is prohibited towards those we serve and towards colleagues alike
Discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, nationality, disability or origin is prohibited in service and within the team
Anyone who knows of a breach and does not report it carries part of the responsibility

The sixth is the one that gets forgotten

Most people who know of a breach do not report it — not because they approve, but because they are unsure, or do not want to harm a colleague, or assume someone else will handle it. Judging whether a concern warrants action is not your decision, and you are not expected to be certain before reporting. What is asked of you is to pass on what you saw.

Check your understanding

You hear a colleague tell a young woman waiting in a registration queue that he "could speed things up for her" if she went out with him. She laughed and did not complain. What do you do?