Building NGO Capacity to Address Sexual Exploitation and Abuse

Through a project funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration, InterAction is working to build the capacity of its NGO members to address and prevent sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) of aid beneficiaries. Tools and other resources have been developed to help organizations establish a sustainable capacity to prevent and respond to SEA at all levels.

About the InterAction SEA Sub-Working Group

InterAction’s SEA Sub-Working Group (SEA SWG) is dedicated to addressing the issue of SEA of beneficiary populations by humanitarian and development assistance staff. The primary objectives of the SEA SWG are: to strengthen InterAction member capacity; to provide a forum to facilitate sharing of information, knowledge, tools, etc., so as to foster cross-agency learning; to advocate for SEA awareness and influence UN agencies, governments, donors, and others on SEA policies and programs at the global level; and to provide training opportunities for InterAction membership related to SEA.

In 2010, the SEA SWG launched the Step by Step Guide to Addressing SEA to assist InterAction member organizations in developing and implementing policies to prevent and respond to SEA. The aim of the guide is to make the process easily understandable and applicable to one’s own organization, so that any staff person at any organization can use the guide to begin the process of developing internal systems to address SEA, or to enhance and expand upon systems that are already in place. It outlines various entry points for starting the process of launching an organizational SEA system, and outlines the steps that organizations might take in the development of internal SEA systems.

Online Learnings

E-learning tools

InterAction has developed two online learning tools on SEA, availble for all:

These trainings were created in Articulate, and are easily adaptable. If you are interested in the source files to adapt for your particular organization, please contact Margot Bokanga.

In 2012, InterAction will be developing two additional online courses: SEA "201" and Codes of Conduct.

Capacity Building Opportunities

In 2011/2012 InterAction, with PRM funding, will offer the trainings below (places and times, TBD), with the intention of disseminating knowledge about SEA prevention and response to the widest audience possible. The full cirricula for all workshops are avaialble for download.

Investigations Workshop
The participants at this workshop should be staff of member organizations whose job duties include being key actors in their organizations’ internal investigative procedures to respond to reports of SEA. The workshop will incorporate role plays and case studies to illustrate the principles and methods for investigating SEA allegations.
Length: 3 days

Community-Based Complaints Mechanisms Workshop
This workshop will build on existing guidance on how to engage communities to design organizational procedures that will encourage beneficiaries to come forward with SEA complaints. Participants in this workshop should be staff who are responsible for supporting their organization’s development of SEA complaints mechanisms.
Length: 2 days

Management of Investigations Workshop
This workshop is geared toward senior staff who have primary responsibility for overseeing SEA investigations. Participants will learn about the basic principles of response to SEA allegations and the steps needed to ensure a proper investigation.
Length: 1 day

For more information on this project or the SEA SWG, please contact Margot Bokanga.