PSEA INTERNAL POLICY

Policy Name: Protection against sexual exploitation and abuse

Policy Objectives: To promote a policy of zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) among all employees and staff associated with the Romanian Midwives Association and to ensure that the roles, responsibilities and standards of conduct in the field of SEA are known within the Romanian Midwives Association. Creating and maintaining a safe environment, without SEA, by taking appropriate measures in this regard internally and in the communities in which the Romanian Midwives Association operates, through solid prevention and response actions.

Target Audience: All members, employees, volunteers and associated staff of the Romanian Midwives Association.

Effective Date: 04 March 2025

Date of Mandatory Revision: 27 January 2026

1. Policy Statement:
   • The SEA violates internationally recognized standards and legal norms and constitutes unacceptable and prohibited conduct among humanitarian personnel, including employees and associate staff of the Romanian Midwives Association.[1]
   • The Romanian Midwives Association has a zero-tolerance policy towards the SEA. All employees and associated staff of the Romanian Midwives Association^[2] must always adhere to the highest standards of personal and professional conduct and provide humanitarian assistance and services in a manner that respects and encourages the rights of beneficiaries and other vulnerable members of local communities.
2. Aim:
   • The policy provides an approach by the Romanian Midwives Association for prevention and response to SEA. The policy applies to all employees and associated staff, both on and off duty.
3. Definitions:^[3]
   • For the purposes of this policy, the term “sexual exploitation” means any actual abuse or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power or trust, including, but not limited to, sexual, financial or political purposes.
   • Similarly, the term “sexual abuse” means actual physical intrusion or attempted intrusion of a sexual nature, by force or under unequal and coercive conditions.
4. PSEA Commitment
   • The Romanian Midwives Association will make every effort to create and maintain a safe environment, without SEA, and will take appropriate action in this regard in the communities in which it operates, using a sound PSEA framework, including through prevention and response actions.
   • This PSEA framework reaffirms the commitment of the Romanian Midwives Association to the UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin on Special Measures for the Protection of Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (ST/SGB/2003/13) and to the full and continuous implementation of the six SEA Fundamental Principles of the IASC.^[4]
5. The Six Fundamental Principles:^[5]
   • Any SEA committed by employees and associated staff of the Romanian Midwives Association is an aggravating form of conduct and therefore serves as a ground for dismissal.^[6]
   • Sexual intercourse with children (persons under the age of 18) is prohibited, regardless of the age of majority or consent in force at the local level. Forming a misconception about a child’s age is no excuse.
   • Offering money, jobs, goods or services in exchange for sex, including sexual favors, or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behavior is prohibited. This includes making the provision of assistance due to the beneficiaries conditional.
   • Any sexual intercourse between employees or associated staff of the Romanian Midwives Association and the beneficiaries of care or other vulnerable members of the local community, which involves improper use of the status or function, is prohibited. Such relationships undermine the credibility and integrity of humanitarian aid work.
   • If an employee or associated staff member of the Romanian Midwives Association is concerned or suspects that a colleague is involved in sexual exploitation or abuse, then he or she should report such suspicions through existing reporting mechanisms.
   • All employees and associate staff of the Romanian Midwives Association must create and maintain an environment that prevents SEA and encourages the implementation of this policy. Managers at all levels have special responsibilities to support and develop systems that maintain this environment.
6. PSEA Framework:
   • Prevention:
     • Verification: The Romanian Midwives Association systematically verifies all potential candidates for a position in accordance with established selection procedures.
     • Training: The Romanian Midwives Association conducts mandatory introductory and recapitulation^[7] trainings on SEA policy and procedures for all employees and associated staff.
   • Answer:
     • Reporting: The Romanian Midwives Association has secured, confidential and accessible SEA reporting mechanisms and procedures for staff, beneficiaries and communities, including children, and ensures that beneficiaries are aware of them.
     • Investigation: The Romanian Midwives Association has a process of investigating SEA allegations and will properly and without delay investigate SEA allegations against employees or associated staff, or contact the relevant investigative body if the alleged perpetrator works for another entity.
       • Referral to national authorities: If, after a proper investigation, there is evidence to support the allegations of SEA, the national authorities may be referred to initiate criminal proceedings.
     • Victim assistance: The Romanian Midwives Association has a system for prompt referral of SEA survivors to available services, as needed and with their approval.
   • Cooperation agreements:
     • All Romanian Midwives Association contracts and partnership agreements include a standard clause requiring contractors, providers, consultants and sub-partners to adhere to a zero-tolerance policy towards the SEA and to take action to prevent and respond to the SEA.
     • If those entities or persons do not take measures to prevent the SEA, to investigate the allegations in this regard or to remedy when the SEA has taken place, it will serve as a basis for the termination of all cooperation agreements.

Annex 2

PSEA CODE OF CONDUCT

General Purpose

The purpose of this document is to define sexual exploitation and abuse as well as to establish employees’ responsibilities for the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and the protection of victims.

The staff and volunteers of the Romanian Midwives Association will respect the highest professional standards and will behave both during and outside of work, according to the standards of ethics and integrity to prevent SEA situations.

Romanian Midwives Association’s Zero Tolerance for Sexual Abuse and Exploitation

Founding members, board members, team members (employees or volunteers) and contractors are committed to a policy of zero tolerance for exploitation and abuse. In the event of any deviation from this policy, the organization reserves the right to exclude contractors and to terminate employment or volunteering contracts with such persons.

Principles and Standards

• Acts of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by humanitarian workers constitute serious abuse of office and, therefore, grounds for termination of employment.
• Sex with children (persons under the age of 18) is prohibited, regardless of the age of majority or consent in force at the local level. A formed misconception about the child’s age is no excuse.
• It is forbidden to offer money, jobs, goods or services for sex, including sexual favors, or other forms of humiliating, degrading or exploitative behavior. This includes making the provision of assistance due to the beneficiaries conditional.
• Any sexual intercourse between those providing humanitarian assistance and protection and a person receiving such assistance and protection, which involves the improper use of rank or position, shall be prohibited. Such relationships undermine the credibility and integrity of humanitarian aid work.
• If a humanitarian worker has a suspicion of sexual exploitation or abuse of a colleague, he or she must report the suspicion through the established reporting mechanisms.
• Humanitarian workers are required to create and maintain an environment in which sexual exploitation and abuse are prevented and the application of the PSEA code of conduct is promoted. Managers at all levels have important responsibilities for supporting and developing systems that maintain this environment.

Standard of Conduct

The Romanian Midwives Association provides a secure work environment for all employees. Members of the Association, employees and volunteers are responsible for maintaining a safe and dignified workplace without sexual exploitation and abuse.

• “Sexual exploitation” means any actual abuse or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, difference in power or trust, for sexual purposes, which includes, but is not limited to, pecuniary, social or political gain from the sexual exploitation of another person.
• “Sexual abuse” is a real intrusion or threat of physical intrusion of a sexual nature, by force or under unequal and coercive conditions.
• „Sexual harassment” is any form of verbal, nonverbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, with the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity, especially when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.

The Romanian Midwives Association prohibits any type of sexual or sexual implication misconduct that may offend, injure the dignity or give rise to feelings of insecurity among members, employees, volunteers or beneficiaries. Behaviors such as sexually explicit jokes, sexual allusions, access to sexually explicit websites, electronic exchange of such materials, any conduct or behavior that harms a person’s dignity through sexual objectification are prohibited.

Obligation to Report

The organization provides all staff/volunteers with an anonymous channel for reporting suspicions or situations of sexual abuse and exploitation. This channel is the email address [email protected] and the phone number +40722658054 (Irina Mateescu).

Such cases may be reported on condition of anonymity.

The organization has an internal process for verifying every report of sexual abuse and exploitation, and, when necessary, the organization has a procedure for assisting and referring victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

The organization shall also, under the law, notify the competent authorities of cases of abuse and exploitation.

Each employee/volunteer of the organization must report suspicions or situations of abuse and sexual exploitation to which they are a witness, using the reporting channel within the organization.

Annex 3

/STATEMENT/CONSENT

I, the undersigned                                                                              , have taken note of the provisions of this Code of Conduct and Policies on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.

I also hereby declare, under my responsibility, that I was not involved in the past and the present in any SEA incidents, and my previous behavior and present one does not contradict these Policies and Code of Conduct.

Through the collaboration with the Association of Romanian Midwives, I undertake to comply with these provisions under the policy of zero tolerance for abuse and sexual exploitation.

I understand that any violation of this policy may result in disciplinary action, including termination of contractual cooperation with the Association of Romanian Midwives.

                Signature                                                                                                                              Date

[1] Bulletin of the Secretary-General of the United Nations ST / SGB / 2003/13, 2003. https://undocs.org/en/ST/SGB/2003/13

^[2] “Associated staff” includes, for example, subcontractors, consultants, trainees or volunteers associated or working on behalf of the Independent Midwives Association.

^[3] Both definitions have been taken from the UN Secretary-General’s Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/13, 2003. https://undocs.org/en/ST/SGB/2003/13.

^[4]  The six fundamental principles of the IASC are available at: https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/inter- agency-standing-committee/iasc-six-core-principles-relating-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse.

^[5] Modified for this PSEA policy. The list is not exhaustive.

^[6] Including the termination of all other forms of contractual agreements, such as volunteering missions.

^[7]  The training shall include at least the following: 1) the definition of SEA (which corresponds to the UN definition); 2) the ban on committing SEA; 3) the actions to be taken by employees and associated staff (e.g. rapid reporting of allegations and referral of survivors).