Supporting the prevention of sexual misconduct in the international development sector

Plan International Australia welcomes the findings of the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine’s independent review on sexual misconduct in the international development sector. We also support the adoption of all recommendations by our peak body, the Australian Council for International Development. As a member of ACFID, we commit to complying with any further regulatory processes and safeguards that are introduced in response to those recommendations.

We have a zero tolerance approach to abuse and exploitation and have multiple reporting mechanisms in place for breaches of our policies and Code of Conduct. But we also recognise there is always room for improvement. With that in mind, we are committed to constantly reviewing our policies and processes to ensure we’re fulfilling our duty of care to our staff and our beneficiaries.

We are also committed to preventing all abuses of power and ensuring full support and safeguarding for those who do speak out. We recognise that we owe it to our donors and other stakeholders to be as transparent as possible on this issue, while also protecting confidentiality of victim/survivors where appropriate.

We will continue to communicate our reporting processes to all Plan International Australia staff, as it is paramount they feel safe and empowered to report incidents and concerns, and that they can rest assured this information will be treated as serious, with their well-being prioritised. Plan International is and will continue to examine how we can best communicate with staff on this issue, such as through training programs and induction processes.

Plan International looks forward to working with the sector as a whole to ensure we are living up to the high moral standards that are expected of us, recognising this as a critical foundation to delivering our work with integrity.

About Plan International

Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.

We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.