Islamic Relief USA’s Commitment to Safeguarding

Focused on Protecting the People We Serve

Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) is dedicated to advancing social justice for the individuals and communities we serve around the world.

That’s why we continue to assess and strengthen our policies and procedures related to safeguarding and protecting the vulnerable populations that we work with from exploitation, abuse, harassment, and bias.

The humanitarian sector issue of safeguarding is in response to an increase in widespread allegations of harm perpetrated by people in positions of power in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working around the world.

We believe that it’s our responsibility to ensure that IRUSA staff do no harm to the people and communities we work with or put anyone, especially vulnerable populations, at risk of abuse or neglect. We take this responsibility seriously and we continue to invest in and strengthen our approach to safeguarding.

What We’re Doing

• IRUSA currently has a Safeguarding Policy in place that staff is fully briefed on. This policy outlines the organization’s safeguarding position and details policies and procedures related to all aspects of safeguarding, from prevention to reporting.
• We require staff to participate in mandatory safeguarding training annually.
• We have a full-time Safeguarding Focal Point on staff to ensure that IRUSA continues to align our safeguarding positioning with industry best practices, keeping the safety and dignity of those we serve at the forefront.
• We have adopted safe recruitment practices including criminal background checks, sex offender registry checks, security screenings, and a requirement of at least two references for all applicants.
• We ensure that all beneficiary data is protected and keep any identifiable information private.
• We are currently working with a third party to instill a confidential and timely complaint mechanism.

Report A Safeguarding Issue

Individuals can report a safeguarding issue confidentially by reaching out to our Donor Services & Stewardship department by phone at (855) 447-1001, or emailing donorcare@irusa.org.

Individuals may also be contacted for clarification or additional information about their reported concerns unless their feedback was submitted anonymously.