Youth Protection

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Youth Protection Prevention Abuse
Harassment
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Rotary International
IYE Student
Volunteers
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Volunteer

• Any adult involved with RYE activities who has
  direct interaction with students
• Club District Youth Exchange officer
• Rotarian Councilor
• Persons who help in activities of IYE students
• Host families

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Types Of Abuse
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Emotional Verbal Abuse

• Use of fear
• Humiliation
• Verbal assault
• ? To control the behavior of young persons.

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Physical Abuse

• Use of physical contact with intent.
• Cause pain.
• Injury

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Neglect

• Failure to provide
• Adequate food
• Clothing
• Shelter
• Medical Care

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Sexual Abuse

• Engaging in sexual act.
• Showing sexual or pornographic material.

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Sexual Harassment

• Sexual advances
• Request for sexual favour
• Verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

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Goals Of Youth Exchange

• Provide opportunities to experience new culture.
• Broader view of the world.
• Develop leadership and communication skills.
• Advance international understanding world
  peace.

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• Rotary International take Youth Protection very
  seriously.
• Rotarians Contribute to creating safe environment
  that stop abuse before it happens.
• Respond appropriately in the unfortunate
  situation when it occurs.

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Remember

• RI has a zero-tolerance policy toward abuse and
  harassment.

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Benefits of Youth Protection

• Long term viability of youth programs
• Strengthen the trust of participants their
  parents
• Develops a good reputation for the organization
• Prevents abuse or mitigates its effects

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Signs of probable abuse

• Physical signs
• Change in behavior mood swings, withdrawal,
  fearfulness, excessive crying
• Fear of certain place people or activities,
  reluctance to be left along with a particular
  person
• High level of anxiety
• Diminished self-esteem
• Overly aggressive behavior

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Signs of probable abuse

• Unwillingness to participate in extra curricular
  activities.
• Poor peer relationship
• Repression
• Nightmares
• Suicide attempts or gestures
• Obsessive behavior
• Self-medication by overindulging in alcohol or
  drugs.

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Myths

• Only girls are at risk
• Although the majority of the victims are girls,
  boys are also at risk. Some studies have shown
  that as many as one in six boys under age 16 has
  experienced unwanted direct sexual contact with
  an older person.

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Myths

• Most abuse is committed by some one who is a
  stranger to the victim.
• False - most abuses are committed by some one the
  victim knows and trusts.

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Myths

• Most reported sexual abuses are fabricated.
• False only 1 to 4 percent of sexual abuse
  reports are fabricated.

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Myths

• Sexual abuse does not cause much emotional harm.
• False it can cause trauma to the victim like
  feeling powerless, confused, ashamed or isolated.

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Myths

• If an adult gets along well with young people it
  is unlikely that he or she is a sexual offender.
  
• False offenders often cultivate an image of
  being good with young people in order
• to gain trust from the community and victims.

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Myths

• Within the rotarys definition gossiping about
  and referring to a persons sexual attractiveness
  or deficiency constitute harassment. The gender
  of the harasser is irrelevant.
• True

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Myths

• Males can not be abused by females
• False among reported cases of sexual abuse
  against boys, 14 percent were committed by
  females.

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DOs

• Treat all youth participants with respect
• Ensure that all policies for youth protection are
  followed, including rules for driving,
  supervision and safety.
• Show youth participants that your are
  approachable and willing to listen to their
  problems.

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DOs

• Provide youth participants with contact
  information for individuals they can go to with
  questions or concerns.
• Identify situations that might pose a special
  risk.
• Be aware that even the most mature teen is not
  yet an adult and that teens may misconstrue some
  conversations and actions.

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Don'ts

• Engage in rough physical games.
• Use physical force in any way, especially as a
  form of punishment.
• Touch an exchanges student in any way that could
  be interpreted as intrusive or sexual.
• Make sexually suggestion comments, even as a
  joke.
• Spend excessive time alone with a student, this
  may lead to misunderstanding .
• Avoid an adult alone with a student.

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Tools To Help Prevention

• Policy for protection.
• Selection and screening.
• Training.
• Support and communication set up.
• Reporting and follow through.

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Volunteer selection screening

• Selection screening of coordinator.
• Selection screening of host families.
• Selection screening of counselor.
• Background checks.
• Personal interviews.
• Meet the RI and district eligibility
  requirements.
• Commitment review.
• Motivation review.
• Ability to provide supervision.
• Counselor should be independent.
• Counselor should be trained.

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Volunteer Training

• Volunteer role.
• Abuse harassment prevention training.
• Information on reporting of allegations.

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Support

• Club president.
• Club IYE committee chairman / coordinator.
• International service director.
• Governor
• RYE Chairman
• RYE co Chairman
• RYE Counselor
• RYE Coordinators

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Suspicion of sexual abuse or harassment- your
response

• Ensure young persons safety.
• Reassure the young person.
• Report the problem to appropriate authorities.
• Inform your district governor, district YE
  chairperson, district counselor.
• Talk to the adult directly responsible for the
  young persons supervision.
• Talk to young persons parents.
• Seek support service counseling
• Do not side with the alleged offender.
• Do not allow any one to punish the young person
  for reporting the incident.

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Summary

• We are legally and morally responsible for the
  well being of other parents children.
• With all of us working together we can keep our
  exchange students safe and make YE programme
  meaningful and happy exchange experience for all
  of us.

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THANK YOU