Safeguarding, PSEAH & GEDSI Framework

1. Institutional Commitment & Scope

Evorise Consulting recognizes that power imbalances inherently exist during field research, evaluative diagnostics, and community consultations. We affirm our fundamental duty of care to ensure that no research participant, community member, enumerator, or partner is placed at risk of harm, exploitation, or abuse as a consequence of our work.

This policy is binding upon all personnel representing Evorise Consulting, including directors, senior advisors, field enumerators, qualitative facilitators, subcontractors, drivers, and institutional partners. Compliance with this policy is a non-negotiable condition of employment and contract execution.

2. Core Safeguarding Pillars

3. Gender Equality, Disability & Social Inclusion (GEDSI) Integration

At Evorise Consulting, GEDSI is not an optional add-on; it is an integral safeguarding pillar. Structural discrimination and exclusion create vulnerabilities that expose marginalized groups to heightened risks of exploitation. Our safeguarding framework operationalizes the following commitments:

• Disability Inclusion: We implement accessibility accommodations for research participants with physical, sensory, or psychosocial disabilities. Field teams utilize inclusive communication tools and apply the Washington Group Questions to ensure accurate representation without stigmatization.
• Gender-Transformative Protection: Recognizing the disproportionate impact of gender-based violence, we implement gender-segregated interview protocols for sensitive topics (such as domestic care burdens, maternal health, and intra-household resource allocation), conducted exclusively by trained female researchers in private, dignified settings.
• Intersectional Social Inclusion: Special protective measures are enforced when working with indigenous communities (*Masyarakat Adat*), sexual and gender minorities, youth Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), and remote island clusters, respecting local cultural autonomy while maintaining universal human rights standards.
• Equitable Participation: We actively identify and dismantle physical, logistical, and social barriers that prevent women and persons with disabilities from voicing their perspectives during community evaluations.

4. Mandatory Fieldwork Code of Conduct

Every consultant and field enumerator deployed by Evorise Consulting must adhere to our strict Operational Fieldwork Code of Conduct:

• Informed Consent & Assent: Written or verbal informed consent must be recorded prior to every survey, interview, or focus group, explained clearly in local languages. For minors under 18, parental or guardian consent combined with the child's explicit assent is mandatory. Participants are informed of their unconditional right to skip questions or withdraw at any point without consequence.
• Two-Enumerator / Open Sightline Rule: One-on-one interviews with minors or vulnerable individuals behind closed doors are strictly prohibited. Interviews must take place within visible sightlines of guardians or fellow enumerators.
• Ethical Photography and Media: Photography or recording of children is prohibited without explicit written parental release. Visual assets must never depict subjects in vulnerable, degrading, or compromised states, nor disclose private residence locations.
• Prohibition of Favors and Coercion: Personnel are strictly prohibited from soliciting gifts, accepting personal favors, promising unauthorized project benefits, or leveraging their institutional authority over community members.
• Substance-Free Deployments: Alcohol, illicit substances, and weapons are strictly prohibited during all field deployments, accommodations, and transit.

5. Confidential Incident Reporting & Case Management

Evorise Consulting provides multiple, secure reporting channels accessible to staff, enumerators, research participants, and external community members:

Case Management Procedure

1. Immediate Triage & Safety (Within 24 Hours): Upon receipt of a report, the Safeguarding Focal Point conducts an immediate risk assessment to ensure the survivor's physical safety and offer medical/psychosocial referrals.
2. Independent Investigation (Within 48 Hours): An impartial, trauma-informed investigation team is appointed. The identity of the survivor and reporter remains confidential throughout the entire process.
3. Sanctions & Enforcement: Substantiated breaches of this policy result in immediate contract termination, permanent blacklisting, and reporting to legal authorities under Indonesian law where criminal conduct has occurred.
4. Whistleblower Non-Retaliation: Evorise Consulting strictly prohibits any form of retaliation, threat, or career detriment against anyone who raises a safeguarding concern in good faith.

6. Enumerator & Partner Vetting Standards

Safeguarding begins before anyone sets foot in the field. Our recruitment protocol requires:

• Mandatory background checks and identity verification for all candidate enumerators.
• Pre-employment check of safeguarding conduct records across regional NGO networks.
• Compulsory attendance at our pre-deployment Safeguarding, PSEAH, and Ethics briefing prior to contract signing.
• Written signature on our binding Code of Conduct before field deployment is authorized.