Justice Finally Served for Bosnian Communities

February 13 2018, London As a women’s rights organisation that works on the issue of sexual harassment and violence against women every day, we are shocked and saddened by the accounts of unacceptable behaviour from individuals within the charity sector.

The basic right of all people to live their lives free from discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse is a core tenet of our work with women survivors of war. Although we see through our daily work that sexual harassment and abusive behaviour can be endemic across all areas of society, we strive to challenge harmful social norms and shift the unequal power dynamics which result in discrimination against women.

Women for Women International works with some of the most marginalised women who live in the world’s most dangerous places. We know that some of these women have experienced sexual violence, intimate partner violence and sexual harassment. We work to empower the women we serve, and to change the attitudes and behaviours of men in communities where we work.

We believe that promoting women’s rights and gender equality is about ensuring equal access to opportunities and women’s ability to live their lives with dignity, no matter the circumstances.

Women for Women International staff are required to adhere to a strict Code of Conduct which governs both conduct towards the women and men we serve in countries affected by conflict as well as towards fellow employees. This is renewed and reaffirmed annually and continuously monitored as part of our performance management system.

The basic right of living life free from discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse also applies within the workplace. We are committed to the safeguarding and well-being of all Women for Women International staff; the organisation takes a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and all other forms of harassment. We foster an inclusive and respectful organisational culture, and have an active whistle-blowing policy in place to ensure that any potential instances of misconduct can be reported in confidence and dealt with appropriately and decisively with full disclosure.

We constantly strive to improve as an organisation on all fronts. We have policies and practices in place and we never stop thinking about what else we can do to safeguard the women we serve, the communities they live in and our staff around the world.