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Safeguarding Policy

Trust comes before scale. Every participant has the right to be treated with dignity, heard without retaliation, and protected from exploitation, discrimination, and avoidable harm.

  1. Purpose and scope

    This Safeguarding Policy explains how BhaiBahini works to prevent harm and respond to concerns involving mentees, mentors, applicants, parents and guardians, staff, contractors, volunteers, partners, and visitors. It applies to the website, applications, pilot activities, communications, events, and mentorship sessions operated under the BhaiBahini name. 

    Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. The best interests, dignity, voice, privacy, and safety of children and young people guide our decisions. 

  2. Safety principles

    • Trust before scale: program growth never overrides a credible safety concern.
    • Do no harm: collect and expose as little personal information as reasonably necessary.
    • Youth voice with adult responsibility: young people should be heard without being made responsible for resolving adult misconduct.
    • Need-to-know confidentiality: concerns are shared only with people who need the information to protect participants or meet legal duties.
    • Non-retaliation: no one may punish, shame, threaten, or disadvantage a person for raising a concern in good faith.
    • Fair and inclusive treatment: safeguarding applies equally regardless of identity, status, geography, or ability to pay.

  3. Who is a child

    For this policy, a child or minor is a person under 18. Public interest forms are intended for people age 13 or older. A child under 13 must not submit personal information directly; a parent or guardian may contact BhaiBahini on the child’s behalf. Parent or guardian notice, consent, or involvement may be required before a minor joins the program. 

  4. Remote-only mentorship

    BhaiBahini mentorship takes place through approved remote channels. In-person meetings are not part of the program. 

    • Sessions must use program-approved accounts, links, and communication methods. 
    • Mentors and mentees must not arrange private in-person meetings or move the relationship to unapproved personal channels. 
    • Participants must not record, photograph, stream, or transcribe a session unless BhaiBahini has authorized it, and all required consent has been obtained. 
    • Session timing, frequency, and communication boundaries must follow the program plan. 
    • A parent, guardian, or authorized program observer may be included where policy, consent, age, or risk requires it. 
    • BhaiBahini may preserve scheduling, attendance, report, and administrative records; it should not claim that every session is actively monitored or recorded unless that is true and disclosed. 

  5. Mentor screening and readiness

    Before being matched, mentors must complete the level of screening appropriate to the program and applicable law. This may include identity verification, application review, professional history review, references, interview, code-of-conduct agreement, safeguarding training, and role-appropriate background checks. 

    Verification reduces risk but does not eliminate it. Approval may be paused, conditioned, or withdrawn if information is incomplete, misleading, expired, or raises a reasonable safety concern. 

  6. Code of conduct

    Participants must

    • Use respectful, age-appropriate, culturally aware language. 
    • Maintain clear mentor-mentee boundaries and keep the relationship focused on guidance and learning. 
    • Protect personal information and share only what is reasonably needed. 
    • Communicate through approved channels and follow session procedures. 
    • Report boundary violations, suspected abuse, exploitation, discrimination, self-harm risk, or other serious concerns promptly. 
    • Cooperate honestly with safety reviews. 

    Participants must not

    • Engage in grooming, sexual conduct or conversation, romantic pursuit, harassment, bullying, threats, coercion, exploitation, or humiliating behavior.
    • Request or share intimate images, passwords, unnecessary identity documents, precise home or school addresses, private financial details, or other information unrelated to mentorship.
    • Offer or request money, personal gifts, loans, employment, migration services, or favors that create pressure, dependency, or a conflict of interest.
    • Use mentorship to sell products, recruit for a business or political cause, proselytize, or promote unsafe or fraudulent opportunities.
    • Provide unqualified medical, mental health, legal, financial, immigration, or emergency advice.
    • Contact a participant after a match has been paused or ended when BhaiBahini has instructed contact to stop.
    • Retaliate against a reporter, witness, or affected person. 

  7. Equality, caste, Indigenous identity, and inclusion

    BhaiBahini prohibits discrimination, exclusion, stereotyping, humiliation, or unequal access based on caste, ethnicity, Indigenous identity, race, color, nationality, language, religion or creed, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, economic status, geography, migration status, family background, or another protected or marginalized identity.

  8. Reporting a concern

    Report a concern through the in-product safety function when available or contact safety@bhaibahini.org. A report may be made by the affected person, a parent or guardian, a witness, a mentor, a partner, or a team member. Anonymous reporting may be offered, although limited information can make reviewing more difficult.

    Share what happened, when it happened, who was involved, whether anyone is in immediate danger, and any available evidence. Do not investigate the matter yourself or circulate sensitive evidence unnecessarily.

  9. How BhaiBahini responds

    • Receive the report and assess immediate safety.
    • Separate or pause contact when reasonably necessary.
    • Preserve relevant records with restricted access.
    • Escalate to the designated safeguarding lead or qualified third-party specialist.
    • Notify a parent or guardian when appropriate and safe, considering the young person’s welfare and applicable law.
    • Refer to emergency services, child-protection authorities, law enforcement, or professional support when required or reasonably necessary.
    • Document the decision and communicate available next steps without disclosing another person’s confidential information.
    • Review whether policies, training, product controls, or partner arrangements need to be changed.

    BhaiBahini may suspend or remove a participant while a concern is reviewed. A safety action is not, by itself, a final determination of wrongdoing. 

  10. Emergencies and wellbeing

    BhaiBahini is not an emergency, crisis, medical, or mental health service. If someone is in immediate danger or may harm themselves or another person, contact local emergency services or an appropriate child-protection or crisis service. A mentor should not promise secrecy when a disclosure suggests serious risk.

  11. Privacy and records

    Safety information is sensitive. Access will be limited to people with legitimate safeguarding, legal, or operational needs. BhaiBahini may need to retain records after a match ends to protect participants, respond to legal obligations, or identify patterns of risk. Complete confidentiality cannot be promised where disclosure is needed to prevent harm or comply with law.

  12. Training, partners, and accountability

    Relevant staff, mentors, contractors, and partners must receive role-appropriate safeguarding expectations and know how to report concerns. Contracts with material service providers and program partners should address confidentiality, incident escalation, and child-safety responsibilities. The safeguarding lead should review incidents and this policy atleast annually and after any serious event.

  13. Contact

    Safeguarding reports: safety@bhaibahini.org. If the concern involves the designated safeguarding contact, provide an independent escalation route before publication.

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