UISG holds safeguarding conference

By Sr. Titilayo Aduloju, SSMA

"We decided to share this path together. There is no final objective other than safeguarding itself."

Those were the words of Sandra Neville, a Safeguarding Consultant.

The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) adopted the work of the Good Shepherd Sisters, who are famous in the area of safeguarding

More than 200 participants attended the UISG event held on 20 October entitled "Our Safeguarding Journey",

The speakers on this topic included Sr. Jane Nway Nway Ei, Safeguarding Coordinator Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, Br. John Guiney SJ, Project Coordinator and Sandra Racionero-Plaza, Assistant Project Coordinator Society of Jesus.

The work of Good Shepherd Sisters

The Sisters of the Good Shepherd are active in fighting against prostitution and human trafficking in poor countries of Asia.

They also work in an international fair-trade partnership with women and those in social and economic distress through Handcrafting Justice. According to the UISG, Good Shepherd Sisters “now operate in no less than 72 different countries”.

The sisters have adopted, in terms of safeguarding, and especially in relation to minors, a unified policy, which may be seen as a collection of language, organisational structures, and safeguarding procedures.

Safeguard: Do no harm!

Explaining the meaning of safeguarding, Ms. Neville said that “it can be understood as the set of two key concepts”.

“Do no harm and if we do harm, do we know what practices to implement to help those who have been harmed?" she stressed

“When we talk about safeguarding”, she said, “it is important to understand that we are not only talking about the protection of minors; rather, we are talking about a 'culture of  safeguarding'”

It means talking about prevention, about methods that not only mend the damage already done but also stop it from happening again, Ms. Neville added.

Care of the victim

“The focus must always be on the victim, on the trauma suffered and consequently also on the pain experienced," she said, adding that it is inevitable that the victims will take the centre stage in the conversation based on guardianship.

Affirming the fact that abuse impacts every aspect of society, Ms. Neville concluded that protocols, standards, and training are essential to dealing with abuse and solving the issue at its core.