As a global organization that works with children and young people who have lost parental care, or who are at risk of losing it, we see far too many cases of child abuse and neglect.
Child abuse is widespread and persistent, exacerbated by poverty and, in some cases, legitimised through harmful cultural practices such as corporal punishment. Child abuse is a taboo subject in many cultures and is underreported.
SOS Children’s Villages is committed to ensuring that in everything that we do, children and young people are safe, their rights are protected, and they are treated with dignity and respect. The purpose of the work of SOS Children’s Villages is to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for children and young people without parental care or at risk of losing it, where that they can form trusting relationships and be supported to become strong and resilient.
We work in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children.
The Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy defines the minimum standards required of all individuals and entities working for or on behalf of SOS Children’s Villages to ensure that our actions are guided first and foremost by the safety and well-being of children and youth who come into contact with us. The Child and Youth Safeguarding Policy is mandatory and must be complied with at all times.
SOS Children’s Villages does not tolerate corruption and consistently works to eradicate it in all its programmes and operations. The purpose of the Anti-Corruption Regulation is to establish clear requirements for preventing, detecting and responding to corruption within SOS Children’s Villages International. Responsibilities of individual staff members are laid out, and steps to be taken concerning conflicts of interest, acceptance of gifts, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing are stated. The standards set out in this regulation must be implemented at all levels of the organization.