ONLINE TRAINING NOW AVAILABLE: THE PREVENTION OF SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE

Video from ICoCA online training on PSEA

ICoCA is pleased to announce the launch of its first online training course. Thanks to the generous support of the UK Government, the Association was able to build on its Guidelines on Preventing and Addressing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and develop an e-learning course, which is available now on ICoCA’s online portal, free of charge for all ICoCA Member and Affiliate companies.

This e-learning course offers an introduction to PSEA for personnel of private security companies. It is composed of four modules designed to raise learners’ awareness and become familiar with a range of measures to combat sexual exploitation and abuse. Through videos, examples and case studies, the course familiarises learners with the ICoCA standards of conduct on sexual exploitation and abuse and personnel obligations to uphold these standards, what they can do to prevent it and how to report such abuses by private security personnel.

“A lot of people never want to report, so it is a good idea to use exit interviews as an alternative when they are leaving. We need also to encourage denunciation from different parties (victims / survivors and witnesses).”

The e-learning course also supports learners in better understanding what the impact of sexual exploitation and abuse on victims and others is and the consequences for security personnel who commit sexual exploitation and abuse. The final module focuses on the responsibilities of managers to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse and enforce the standards of conduct.

We would like to thank the six Member companies who participated in the development of the course by providing invaluable feedback and being available and supportive throughout the development process. Through this collaborative approach ICoCA has tried to ensure that the modules are as learner friendly and contextualised as possible, given the challenge that ICoCA’s Member and Affiliate companies operate in diverse contexts and cultures. To make the course as effective as possible, the Association encourages companies to use the course material for their own classroom training of guards. It is hoped that a mixed approach of online and in-person training at different levels, collaboration and exchange of best practices and challenges will help raise private security standards.

“In our training, it is important to focus on the fact that personnel must collaborate and help each other to respect standards.”

As a first e-learning course, ICoCA is piloting this approach and looks forward to the continuous feedback of its Member and Affiliate companies in order to achieve the best possible learning experience.

Seeking Financial Support For More Training Modules

ICoCA is eager to produce more e-learning courses on other important human rights principles. This will require financial support. ICoCA invites potential donors or interested parties to contact the secretariat to discuss. Please email c.galvin@icoca.ch.