Reports concerning misconduct or integrity incident

We encourage anyone (e.g. staff, volunteers, suppliers, partners, contractors, consultants, or the public) to come forward with credible information on misconduct or incidents. 

You can report any misconduct or integrity incident involving Red Cross operations or personnel, especially violations of applicable laws, the Code of Conduct or other applicable regulations and policies (Staff Regulations, Prevention of Sexual Exploitation or Abuse, Anti-Harassment Guidelines, Fraud and Corruption, Security Regulations, Health and Safety, IT use, etc.) via this reporting system.

The four guiding principles of the survivor-centred approach are:

1. Ensure the physical safety of the survivor
2. Guarantee confidentiality
3. Respect the wishes, the rights, and the dignity of the survivor
4. Ensure non-discrimination

We will prepare the survivor with sensitive and clear information about what will happen next, obtain an informed consent, and carry out the investigation in a compassionate, systematic, and complete way.

Please note that the more you give factual information (who, what, where, when, why and how), the more your report will be successfully followed by the case manager.

To guarantee your anonymity, the encrypted data is transmitted via the secure and independent server of EQS, the company hosting the Integrity Line platform. You will stay anonymous when you submit a report via this reporting system unless you decide to disclose your identity. Please note that the more you give factual information (who, what, where, when, why and how), the more your report will be successfully followed by the case manager.

After you have submitted it, your report will follow several steps.

• Acknowledgment of the receipt of your report (within 5 working days)
• Assessment of the report. The relevant department may contact you via the reporting system in case of questions or if additional information is needed. This assessment can lead to close the case or to open a fact-finding investigation.
• Fact-finding investigation, again the relevant department may come back to you. The investigation, especially in complex cases, can take up to several months.
• Conclusion of the investigation
• Decision on disciplinary measures

All reports are sent to the responsible case manager. They will decide on the further procedure and contact you via the reporting system in case of questions or if additional information is needed. If requested, your anonymity will be protected. In case of concrete reports of suspicions, specialists may be involved and an investigation initiated. You will be informed as soon as the investigation of the report is concluded. The investigation, especially in complex cases, can take several months. For reasons of data privacy, you can generally not be told the outcome and result of the investigation.

Please allow 5 working days for the acknowledgment of the receipt of your report. Do not consider this message as the confirmation of a future investigation. The relevant department needs first to assess your report.

This Integrity Line is based on good faith and if you feel according to the IFRC mindset that you need to report, please do so. All reports will be looked at very carefully in order to assess if the allegations should be investigated. If during the assessment or later during the investigation, the relevant department concludes that the allegations were false and/or made in bad faith with the will to harm, disciplinary consequences might be taken on the reporter.

At the end of the reporting process, you will see an automatically generated incident number and you will be invited to set a password for yourself. Using this login data, you can later log into your secure Inbox on this reporting system. The Inbox allows you to enter into a direct dialogue with the responsible Case Manager while protecting your anonymity and ensuring safe communications. The option to have a dialogue is very important, as the Case Manager might need further information in order to properly assess the report.

We encourage to reveal your identity while reporting as you potentially facilitate an investigation and a proper follow-up. Nevertheless, you still have the option to remain anonymous.

This depends to some degree upon the specifics of your allegation. If you are reporting an incident that was observed by several witnesses, or for which documents or physical evidence exist (even if you don't have the evidence yourself), we may be able to fully investigate the matter without revealing your identity as the reporter. In case your identity has to be revealed, we will contact you and we will offer protection according to the Whistleblower Protection Policy.

By making a report, you will bring your concerns to the attention of the organization through a secure channel, on an anonymous basis if you wish, so that we may all work in a safe and respectful environment. We will listen to you, we will support you and we will take action.

You may wish to make an anonymous report. We also have a whistleblower policy that encourages anyone to come forward with credible information on illegal practices or violations of adopted policies of the organization. The organization can protect you from retaliation.