APF is committed to creating and maintaining an organisational environment in which every person is treated with dignity, respect and equality and is protected from sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and sexual harassment.

APF adopts a zero-tolerance approach to inaction in relation to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (“SEAH”). Every concern or allegation brought to APF’s attention shall be taken seriously, assessed promptly and addressed through a fair, confidential, survivor-centred and proportionate process.

No employee, Board member, consultant, volunteer, intern, partner representative or other person associated with APF may use their position, authority, influence, access to resources or relationship of trust to sexually exploit, abuse or harass another person.

APF recognises that SEAH may arise in situations involving unequal power, including relationships between organisations and communities, supervisors and employees, funders and partners, staff and survivors, and persons controlling access to employment, grants, services or other resources. Accordingly, prevention of abuse of power is central to this Policy. APF adopts the IASC Six Core Principles Relating to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (2002, revised 2019) in full, and every person acting on APF's behalf is required to acknowledge and abide by them as a condition of their engagement

APF is committed to conducting its work with integrity, transparency, fairness and accountability. APF recognises that bribery, corruption, fraud and money laundering undermine institutions, divert resources from their intended purposes, distort decision-making and disproportionately affect people and communities who already experience structural inequalities.

Consistent with APF’s ethos of Voice, Choice and Agency, APF seeks to create systems in which organisational resources are used responsibly, decisions can withstand scrutiny, individuals can raise concerns without fear, and those entrusted with authority remain accountable for how that authority is exercised.

APF adopts a zero-tolerance approach to bribery and corruption and shall not knowingly facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, diversion of funds or other financial crime. No organisational objective, funding opportunity, operational urgency, relationship or perceived benefit shall justify bribery, corruption, concealment of financial misconduct or circumvention of applicable legal and organisational requirements.

At the same time, APF recognises that effective prevention requires more than rules. It requires clear processes, proportionate controls, transparent decision-making, responsible leadership and an organisational culture in which questions can be raised and concerns reported safely.

APF is committed to advancing gender equity within its organisation and in all of its work. APF recognises that gender inequality shapes who has access to safety, resources, decision-making power and justice, and that women, girls, transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse persons experience this inequality in ways that are deepened by caste, class, religion, disability, geography and other factors.

Within APF, this means equal opportunity in recruitment, pay, professional development, promotion and leadership; working conditions that recognise caring responsibilities; and the meaningful participation of women and gender-diverse people in decision-making at every level, including the Board.

In its programmes, APF seeks to design, deliver and review its work through a gender lens, so that its services are accessible, safe and respectful for all those who approach it, including survivors of gender-based violence, and so that gender-related barriers to accessing justice are identified and addressed. Where appropriate and safe, APF shall collect and use data disaggregated by gender to understand who is, and is not, being reached.

APF adopts a zero-tolerance approach to gender-based discrimination, harassment and violence. Concerns of this nature shall be addressed through APF's PSEAH Policy, and no person associated with APF may use their position, authority or relationship of trust to discriminate against, harass or harm another on the basis of gender.

Consistent with APF's ethos of Voice, Choice and Agency, APF seeks not only to protect women and gender-diverse people from harm but to ensure that they are heard, are able to make their own choices, and are supported to act on them.

At the same time, APF recognises that lasting progress depends on examining unequal power, engaging men and boys as partners in change, expecting partners to uphold comparable standards, and holding its own leadership accountable.

APF is committed to creating and maintaining an organisational environment in which every person is treated with dignity, respect and equality, and in which people of different identities, backgrounds and experiences are able to participate, contribute and lead.

APF recognises that equity is not the same as treating everyone identically. People begin from unequal positions shaped by caste, class, gender, religion, ethnicity, language, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, region and other aspects of identity, often in combination. Fairness therefore sometimes requires removing barriers and responding to different needs, both in how APF recruits, engages, supports and promotes people, and in how it designs and delivers its work with communities.

APF adopts a zero-tolerance approach to discrimination, harassment and victimisation on any of these grounds. Every concern brought to APF's attention shall be taken seriously, assessed promptly and addressed through a fair, confidential and proportionate process, and no one shall face retaliation for raising a concern in good faith.

Every person associated with APF, including employees, Board members, consultants, volunteers, interns and partner representatives, is expected to treat others fairly and respectfully, and none may exclude, demean or discriminate against another person because of their identity or background. This applies equally to how people treat one another within APF and to how they engage with the communities and individuals APF works with.

Consistent with APF's ethos of Voice, Choice and Agency, APF seeks to ensure that people most affected by exclusion have a real say in the decisions that affect them, within the organisation and in its programmes, and that those who have historically been absent from decision-making are visible in its teams, partnerships and leadership.

At the same time, APF recognises that this statement is only a starting point, and that inclusion has to be built into how it works every day. That means accessible spaces and processes, fair and transparent practices in hiring and decision-making, honest attention to who is and is not included, and leaders who are accountable for the culture they create. APF shall review its policies, practices and programmes periodically against these commitments and act on what it finds.

Amarra Philanthropic Foundation ("APF") is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, impartiality, and accountability in all aspects of its governance and operations. Decisions made on behalf of APF shall always be guided solely by the interests of the Foundation, its beneficiaries, donors, partners, and stakeholders.

Consistent with APF's ethos of expanding agency, promoting equitable systems, and strengthening institutional accountability, APF requires all Trustees, Directors, employees, consultants, volunteers, interns, committee members, and any person acting on behalf of APF to identify, disclose, and appropriately manage actual, potential, or perceived conflicts of interest. 

The purpose of this Policy is not to prohibit personal interests, but to ensure that such interests do not improperly influence decisions or compromise public confidence in APF.

Similarly, APF expects all third parties with whom it enters into business (including vendors, partners, subcontractors, etc) to be proactive and transparent in determining if they have (or could be perceived to have) personal and/or organizational conflicts of interest through their engagement with APF.

APF holds that the stories, images and voices of the people it works with are shared on their terms, and that no organizational goal outranks a person's safety, privacy or choices. APF shall collect, create or publish content about the people it works with only with their informed and ongoing consent, and only in a manner that is safe, honest and respectful.

APF recognises that many of the people it works with come from communities that have been excluded or treated unfairly, and that a published story can expose them and their families to real harm, whether physical, emotional, social, legal or to their reputation. Content that could put a person at risk shall not be collected or published. Consent is not a one-time signature. A participant decides whether to take part and how they are named and represented, sees the final quote, photograph or story before it is published, and may withdraw their consent at any time. Their decision, whichever way they make it, never affects the legal aid, referrals or other support they receive from APF, and APF offers no payment or favours in exchange for content.

APF adopts a zero-tolerance approach to the misuse of participant content. The use of participant content for personal gain, personal branding, external monetisation or any unapproved purpose is strictly prohibited, as is the use of generative AI or digital manipulation to fabricate, alter or simulate the images, voices or narratives of real participants. Nothing that could identify a survivor of a sexual offence shall be published, and no shelter, safe house or other protected place shall be photographed or named. A breach of the Policy may lead to disciplinary action or the end of an engagement, and the content concerned shall be removed immediately.

Every concern about a story, image or practice shall be acknowledged promptly, reviewed in confidence and acted on to limit harm. Concerns may be raised anonymously, and no one shall face retaliation for raising a concern in good faith.

Consistent with APF's ethos of Voice, Choice and Agency, APF shall portray people as they are, with their strengths and choices, and not as helpless or as objects of pity. Stories shall explain the wider social and structural barriers people face, so that hardship is never attributed to personal failure, and shall be about the participant's own experience and choices, not about what APF has done. 

At the same time, APF recognises that this declaration is only a starting point, and that ethical storytelling is tested in every conversation, photograph and publication. APF shall review its Ethical Storytelling and Media Policy at least once a year, and after any incident that shows a gap, and shall act on what it finds.