Child Protection Policy

Ra Foundation Child Protection Policy

About the Organisation

Ra Foundation (2004) is a Mumbai based NGO registered under the Bombay Public Trust Act 1950, working, in the space of children's education and wellbeing. Our intervention is called the Happy Kids program. Ra Foundation identifies children who are vulnerable due to the environment at home, through other NGO partners. The program team then handholds the kids, into a safer environment, at quality residential schools in Panchgani and Palghar. The Happy Kids Program has now evolved into a programme that does 360-degree intervention into children’s education, their mental and emotional health and overall development by providing a stable and supportive environment during their formative years.

Ra Guiding Philosophy

We believe that education is not just a recognized fundamental right:

It is a powerful force to make a breakthrough from the cycle of poverty and to bring about change in society. However, it doesn’t simply imply that being enrolled in a school guarantees one to be effective and fully functional, but rather one requires a caring, nurturing, safe and healthy social and physical environment that promotes the welfare of the child.
All children irrespective of their age, culture, gender, caste, socio- economic status, religious beliefs, and sexual identity have the right to protection from all forms of harm and abuse.
Child protection is everyone’s responsibility, including staff, partner organizations, schools, volunteers and they shall work in cohesion with the parents/ caregivers to promote the health, welfare and development of the child.
Children have the right to express views on all matters which affect them, should
they wish to do so.

Purpose of the Child Protection Policy:

To define behaviours that constitute child abuse
To protect children from all forms of harm and create an enabling environment.
To protect stakeholders from any untoward incident and risks associated with being in contact with children.

Objective of the Child Protection Policy:

To create a policy document on child safety and protection that explicitly defines various forms of abuse
To create awareness forums/ workshops for children on child safety and protection
To sensitize stakeholders on the Preventive and Protective measures.

Scope and Applicability of the Child Protection Policy:

This policy is meant for all staff members, volunteers, mentors, interns, School partners and NGO partners who work with or for the children.

Understanding frequently used terminologies in the policy document

Stakeholder: An individual or group that has an interest in any decision or activity of an organization

a) Child - A child is a person who has not attained the age of 18 years
b) Mentors - An adult above the age of 18 years who willingly comes forward to enroll as a guide, coach for the students in the program.
c) Interns -Any person who works, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification. At Ra usually interns above the age of 16 years are preferred.
d) Program Staff- Program Staff at Ra means an employee or individual who by contract with the Organisation provides a service and has the applicable competencies, qualifications, or certification required to provide the service.
e) NGO Partner - Partner organization that support Ra Foundation work in the area of Child selection, remedial education, counseling services
f) Partner Schools - School partnerships are strong alliances between schools and Ra Foundation. The shortlisted kids are sent to these Partner Schools.
g) Trustee - A trustee is a person who takes responsibility for managing money or assets that have been set aside in a trust for the benefit of someone else.

Child Protection: Child protection is a term that describes policies, standards, and practices that seek to protect children from harm- physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual or any other negligence. Harm can be caused by child supervisors, care givers, teachers, mentors, volunteers who are closely working with children. It may also include staff who may not be involved directly with childcare but working in the organization.

Abuse: In this policy, “Child Abuse” (source of reference: Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India) means:

a) Physical Abuse: Physical abuse is the inflicting of physical injury upon a child. This may include burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating or otherwise harming a child.
b) Sexual Abuse: Sexual abuse is inappropriate sexual behavior with a child. It includes fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondle the adult's genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism and sexual exploitation.
c) Emotional Abuse: Emotional abuse is also known as verbal abuse, mental abuse, and psychological maltreatment. It includes acts or the failure to act, by teachers or caretakers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or mental trauma. This can include teachers/caretakers using extreme and/or bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement in a closet or dark room or being tied to a chair for long periods of time or threatening or terrorizing a child. Less severe acts, but not less damaging may also include belittling or rejecting treatment, using derogatory terms to describe or humiliate the child.
d) Neglect: It is the failure to provide for the child's basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing, appropriate medical care, supervision, or proper weather protection (heat or cold) for the child residing in the schools, residential hostels.

Corporal Punishment – Corporal Punishment means punishment that is physical in nature. While there is no statutory definition of 'corporal punishment' targeting children in the Indian law, the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 prohibits ‘physical punishment’ and ‘mental harassment’ under Section 17(1) and makes it a punishable offense under Section 17(2).

Corporal punishment involves, rapping on the knuckles, running on the school ground, kneeling down for hours, standing up for long hours, being beaten with a scale, pinched and slapped, child sexual abuse, torture, locking up children alone in classrooms and all other acts leading to insult, humiliate, intimidate or cause physical and mental injury to the child and even at times leading to death.

Complaint - A complaint means any allegation made in writing, with a view to taking action under this Code that some person, whether known or unknown, has committed an offense, but does not include a police report

Policy Guidelines:

No stakeholder as defined above shall
Hit or otherwise physically abuse a child.
Develop relationships with children, which could be interpreted or deemed as inappropriate.
Use language or make suggestions that are inappropriate, offensive or abusive.
Act in any way that intends to embarrass shame, humiliate, or degrade a child or act in ways that may be verbally / physically abusive towards the child.
Discriminate against a child on the basis of race, economic status, culture, age, gender, disability, religion, sexuality, political persuasion or any other status.
Behave or suggest physically or otherwise in a manner, which is inappropriate or sexually provocative or may be considered to be sexual abuse.
Touch, kiss, hug, fondle, or rub a child in any way that may be considered inappropriate, culturally insensitive or make the child uncomfortable or may be construed as sexual abuse.
Provide unsolicited assistance to a child, of a personal nature, that a child could do on its own including but not limited to dressing, bathing, and grooming.
Ignore or enable actions when inappropriate conduct has occurred.
Will not use images of children

If there is no written consent provided
That is explicit or provocative in nature
That engages with negative communication that victimizes or humiliates the child in any way.

Stakeholders will ensure that while using the images for its communication and fundraising will maintain the dignity of the child always.

Preventive measures for School Partners:

Recruitment of staff with proper verification and background checks
Fully functioning security cameras on campus
Female wardens for the girl’s hostel and male wardens for boy’s hostel
Prohibiting use of mobile phones inside dorm rooms or school campuses without consent of school authorities
Prohibiting children from leaving the campus alone. Children will be allowed to leave the campus only in presence of a local guardian or parent, in case otherwise, parent or the local guardian must inform in writing to Ra Foundation.
Anti Ragging, Anti bullying policy / awareness among both the day borders and hostel stu
All children are to be informed through awareness drives that they have a right to speak against corporal punishment and bring it to the notice of the concerned authorities. They must be given the confidence to make complaints and not to accept punishment as a ‘normal’ activity of the school. The school will be encouraged to have a forum where children can express their views /complaints
Training on the Child Protection Policy with all stakeholders.

Protective Measures:

A complaint has to be lodged with the immediate superior in writing with a copy marked to Ra foundation

a) In event of a complaint with an employee of Ra, the person may be restricted from performing his/her duties until due proceedings and investigations are completed. If the person is found guilty, the person may be terminated immediately with subsequent legal action taken.
b) In event of a complaint against an employee at a partner organizationRa will follow the measures prescribed by law, with subsequent legal action taken. The partnership may also be reviewed under close scrutiny.
c) In the event the complaint is against a person who is an adult but not an employee, Ra foundation shall register or cause to be registered a complaint at the nearest police station to the place where the incident has been alleged to have taken place (basis the consent of the child). Ra will follow the measures prescribed by law, with subsequent legal action.
d) In the event the complaint is against a person who is a minor, of Ra foundation shall immediately share a written complaint about the same to the concerned school authorities and legal proceedings in line with POCSO act, Juvenile Justice Act will commence.

On receiving a complaint against an employee, whether written or verbal, of any instance of child abuse the Director shall

place the concerned employee under suspension till the Committee submits its report,
Constitute a Committee to enquire into the complaint within 7 days of receiving the Complaint.
The Committee shall within 7 days on receiving a complaint begin the enquiry and shall within 15 days record a finding that no cause of action exists and that the complaint is frivolous and the person shall be reinstated to his/her job.

In the initial investigation there appears a case of violation; the committee deems suitable action with help of its legal team

In case of false charges by -

The student/ parent /guardian against the school or Ra the student will be immediately removed from the school and the program. Further all support by the foundation towards the student will cease with immediate effect. The student along with the local guardian/ parent will be asked to sign a written statement stating they aligned false allegations.
The employee will be immediately terminated and asked to tender in a written apology citing the false allegations.
In case of false by a partner organization, Ra may sue the partner organization for damages caused and terminate the partnership with immediate effect, any outstanding payment or dues that are to be paid by Ra will cease to exist in such a case.

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