World Vision welcomes ACFID review

World Vision CEO, Claire Rogers welcomed the findings of the independent review of the Australian aid sector’s handling of sexual misconduct and would move quickly to implement the recommendations. 

“This is a matter of priority for the entire sector,” said Ms Rogers who also sits on the board of ACFID (Australian Council for International Development), the sector’s peak body which commissioned the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine to carry out the review in May this year. “It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure there is no place in any country for the abuse of anyone.” 

Ms Rogers said while World Vision already had a robust regime for response and prevention of sexual misconduct in place, as CEO of Australia’s leading humanitarian agency, World Vision will support the sector’s efforts to improve its capacity to safeguard all those they serve and employ.  

"It was important that as a sector we shine a light on all areas we need to improve in our approach to protect against misconduct - especially where it impacts on vulnerable children and communities and a safe and equitable working environment," Ms Rogers said. “It is now incumbent upon each organisation to act, to ensure we are all doing what we can to prevent and protect against sexual misconduct.” 

Ms Rogers said that World Vision and was very committed to supporting the recommendations of the review and will appoint a special cross-functional taskforce to implement the recommendations over the next 12 months.  

World Vision, which already has extensive policies and protocols in place to safeguard children and communities against sexual exploitation and abuse, as well as mechanisms that allow communities, beneficiaries and staff to report potential cases of abuse to the organisation, would now coordinate these under one Safeguarding Unit she said. 

Ms Roger’s said World Vision Australia is also an early adopter of new global safeguarding standards recently introduced by the World Vision International Partnership. 

 “This continues to be an absolute priority issue for World Vision. It is important we make it as simple as possible not only for us to fulfil our responsibilities to safeguard against abuse but that victims and survivors of sexual misconduct can have confidence that it is safe for them to come forward and that they will be heard and a proper process followed to investigate and redress as appropriate.”  

 “I am confident that if the review’s recommendations are implemented widely, they will greatly strengthen the sector's capacity to safeguard against inappropriate or criminal sexual misconduct,” she said.  

Media Enquiries, contact Ruth Lamperd: 0417 765 947 or ruth.lamperd@worldvision.com.au