Project: Ending Harassment

Ending Harassment – Evidence into Action is an international, independent Governance project addressing sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, acid violence, institutional abuse and abuse of authority. Its scope encompasses NGOs, educational institutions, public bodies, employers and other institutions globally.

The project brings evidence, institutional responsibilities and proposed improvements into a central framework for governance review and action. It aims to examine how organisations prevent harm, respond to concerns, protect survivors and demonstrate accountability across countries and institutional settings.

Through the PHC Service, the project intends to record concerns, assess the quality and limitations of evidence, distinguish allegations from substantiated findings, identify weaknesses in safeguards and track corrective actions against defined responsibilities and review dates.

The intended operating model is subscription-funded, supporting independent research, structured review, monitoring and reporting. Subscription arrangements will need transparent terms and safeguards for independence and conflicts of interest. Payment will not confer a favourable assessment or influence findings.

Survivor dignity, confidentiality, informed participation, safeguarding and procedural fairness will guide the work. The programme and subscription arrangements are in development; the project makes no claim of existing subscribers or verified outcomes.

The primary objective is to turn evidence about sexual harassment, acid violence and institutional abuse into practical improvements in prevention, protection, governance and accountability internationally.

Specific objectives include:

1. Global governance review: Develop a central framework applicable to NGOs, educational institutions, public bodies, employers and other institutions worldwide, taking account of local circumstances and evidential limits.
2. Evidence assessment: Record sources, assess reliability, identify gaps and distinguish reported concerns, allegations, institutional responses and substantiated findings.
3. Prevention and safeguarding: Examine policies and their implementation in relation to sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, acid violence, retaliation and abuse of authority.
4. Survivor protection: Promote accessible, confidential and trauma-informed reporting and appropriate referral pathways, respecting survivors' choices and protecting personal information.
5. Institutional accountability: Assess responsibilities, complaints handling, investigation arrangements, oversight and responses to concerns, with fair opportunities for institutions and individuals to respond.
6. Evidence into action: Use the PHC Service to connect concerns with proposed remedies, responsible parties, milestones, review dates and evidence needed to assess progress.
7. Constructive engagement: Seek contributions from survivors, NGOs, institutional leaders, researchers and civil society, establishing any participation or partnership explicitly.
8. Independent subscription funding: Develop transparent subscription arrangements to support research, review and monitoring, with controls against financial influence over assessment criteria, findings or reporting.
9. Learning and evaluation: Develop baselines, indicators and review methods that can be adapted across countries and institutions and support learning from effective responses and unresolved weaknesses.

Progress will be assessed through evidence of changes in practice and outcomes. Subscription income, participation, published policies and public commitments alone will not demonstrate improved safety or effective governance.

Sexual harassment, acid violence and institutional abuse raise connected questions about personal safety, unequal power, prevention, access to support and organisational accountability. These concerns extend across countries and institutional settings, including NGOs, education, public services and workplaces.

Effective governance requires scrutiny of how safeguards operate in practice: whether concerns can be reported safely, investigations are fair, retaliation is addressed and corrective actions are followed through. Each assessment must consider the institution's responsibilities, local context and the quality of available evidence.

Ending Harassment – Evidence into Action is being developed as a central international Governance project to examine these issues through a consistent, independent approach. It brings individual concerns and wider patterns within a global remit while maintaining the distinction between allegations and substantiated findings.

The proposed role of the PHC Service is to organise evidence, questions, responses, responsibilities and actions so that assessments and follow-up can be reviewed. Reporting will need to respect confidentiality, safeguarding, procedural fairness and evidential limits.

The proposed subscription-funded model is intended to sustain independent research, governance review and monitoring. Subscription terms, conflict-of-interest controls and protections for independent assessment and reporting remain to be established, alongside the detailed programme and operational responsibilities.

External profiles are retained as contextual resources. Their inclusion does not imply a personal association, organisational affiliation, endorsement or partnership.

Ending Harassment – Evidence into Action aims to strengthen governance and support more effective prevention of sexual harassment, acid violence and institutional abuse across NGOs and institutions globally.

Its intended contribution is to clarify the relationship between evidence, institutional responsibility and corrective action, helping stakeholders assess whether safeguards work in practice and where further action is needed.

Intended outcomes include:

• Clearer understanding of risks, governance weaknesses and the quality and limitations of available evidence.
• More accessible and reliable reporting, referral and protection arrangements that respect survivor dignity and confidentiality.
• Stronger implementation of prevention and safeguarding policies, with defined responsibilities and reviewable evidence.
• Fairer responses to concerns, including appropriate investigation, protection from retaliation and documented follow-up.
• Better tracking of proposed reforms through recorded actions, milestones and evidence of implementation.
• Useful learning across organisations and countries, adapted to local circumstances and institutional responsibilities.
• A sustainable basis for independent research, governance review and monitoring through transparent subscription funding.

Evaluation will distinguish activities and commitments from changes in practice and longer-term outcomes. Reported progress will require supporting evidence, an explanation of limitations and an appropriate basis for attributing change to the project.

These outcomes are prospective. No existing subscriber base, verified reduction in harm or demonstrated institutional improvement is claimed. Baselines, indicators and review arrangements will be developed as the programme is established.