Child Protection Policy

Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization (PHWO) works with children through education support, medical camps, school activities, skills training and emergency relief. Children are among the people most likely to benefit from our work and the most vulnerable to harm within it. This policy sets the standards that everyone acting for PHWO must follow.

It applies to all founding members, office bearers, staff, volunteers, trainers, medical professionals, partners, contractors and visitors taking part in any PHWO activity. Acceptance of this policy is a condition of involvement with PHWO.

Our Commitment

The welfare of the child comes before the convenience, reputation or interests of the organisation, always.
Every child has the right to protection from physical, sexual, emotional and verbal abuse, neglect, exploitation, corporal punishment and discrimination.
Children are protected regardless of faith, sect, ethnicity, gender, disability, family background or economic circumstances. PHWO is non-political and non-sectarian in protection as in everything else.
Every concern is taken seriously, recorded and acted upon. No concern is dismissed to avoid embarrassment.
Assistance to a child or family is never conditional on silence about a concern.

For the purposes of this policy, a child is any person under the age of 18. International guidance on child protection standards is published by UNICEF.

Code of Conduct

Everyone acting for PHWO must:

treat every child with respect and listen to what they say;
work in an open environment, in sight of others, and avoid being alone with a child in a closed or private space;
where a one-to-one setting is unavoidable, such as a medical examination or a counselling conversation, ensure another responsible adult is present or nearby and, wherever possible, that a female staff member or volunteer is present for a girl;
obtain the consent of a parent or guardian before a child participates in any PHWO activity;
report any concern, disclosure or suspicion immediately;
keep information about a child confidential and share it only with those who need to know.

Everyone acting for PHWO must not:

use physical punishment, or any physically or emotionally humiliating or degrading treatment;
use abusive, sexualised, discriminatory or demeaning language;
engage in any sexual activity or relationship with a child, whatever the local custom and whatever the child’s apparent consent. Belief about a child’s age is not a defence;
develop private contact with a child outside programme activity, including by phone or social media, without the knowledge and consent of a parent or guardian and of PHWO;
take a child to their own home or to any unauthorised location;
give money, gifts or favours to an individual child outside the agreed terms of a programme;
take, keep or share photographs or video of a child without informed consent from a parent or guardian;
act in a way intended to shame, humiliate or belittle a child, or to place a child at risk.

Photographs, Stories and Dignity

Informed consent from a parent or guardian, and the agreement of the child, is required before any photograph, video or story of a child is taken or published. Consent is never a condition of receiving assistance.
Children must be shown dressed appropriately and in a manner that preserves their dignity. Images that are distressing, degrading or sexualised are never used.
Full names, school names, addresses or any detail that could identify a child’s location are not published alongside their image.
Consent may be withdrawn at any time, and we will stop using the material in future publications.

Recruitment and Screening

Anyone working directly with children is briefed on this policy and must sign their acceptance of it.
Identity is verified, and references are sought where the role involves regular contact with children.
Applicants are asked to disclose any conviction or investigation relating to offences against children.
No person against whom a credible child protection concern is outstanding may work with children in PHWO activities.
Volunteers working with children receive a briefing on safeguarding before their first placement.

Reporting a Concern

If you see, suspect or are told about the abuse, neglect or exploitation of a child in connection with PHWO’s work, report it immediately. You do not need proof, and it is not your job to investigate. It is your job to report, through the channels below or through our complaints and feedback channel.

Email: info@phwo.org with the subject line “Child Protection Concern”
In person: at our registered office, H. No. 704/C, Near Govt. Girls High School, Lahori Muhalla, Larkana, Sindh

If a child is in immediate danger, contact the police or emergency services first, then inform us.

How We Respond

The immediate safety of the child is secured before anything else.
The concern is recorded confidentially and referred to the designated office bearer responsible for child protection.
Where the concern involves a criminal offence, the matter is referred to the police or the relevant child protection authorities in Sindh. We will not attempt to settle such a matter internally or informally.
Any person against whom an allegation is made is suspended from all activity involving children while the matter is examined.
Records are kept securely and shared only with those who need them for protection or legal purposes.
Retaliation against anyone who reports a concern in good faith is itself a serious breach of this policy.

Breaches

Breach of this policy may result in removal from a role, termination of membership or employment, ending of a partnership, and referral to the police or relevant authorities. Failure to report a known concern is treated as a breach in its own right.

Partners and Contractors

Organisations, institutions and companies working with PHWO on activities involving children are required to apply this policy or an equivalent standard of their own. We will ask about your safeguarding arrangements before agreeing a partnership involving children.

Review

This policy is reviewed regularly and updated as our programmes develop and as our obligations change following registration. Registration under the Voluntary Social Welfare Agencies (Registration and Control) Ordinance, 1961 is in process. A copy of this policy is available on request.

Last reviewed 26 September 2026. Published by Peace and Humanity Welfare Organization.