Şehir Dedektifi Kent Çevre ve Sanat Derneği (City Detective: City, Environment, and Art Association) is a civil society organization that focuses on children’s right to live in a healthy and safe environment, conducts monitoring and advocacy for livable cities and the protection of environmental values, produces cultural and artistic projects, and develops design tools and spatial design proposals.

Şehir Dedektifi Kent Çevre ve Sanat Derneği:

• Structures decision-making processes in an open manner to children in every matter that directly or indirectly involves them or affects their lives.

• Is responsible for establishing systems through which children can report any actual or potential safety concerns.

• Makes all recruitment decisions with a focus on children's rights and a rights-based approach, while ensuring child safety.

• Conducts risk assessments prior to all activities/work and aims to eliminate risks by minimizing them.

• The City Detective Child Safeguarding Policy is based on international human rights instruments, primarily the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and Turkish Law No. 5395 on Child Protection.

• The City Detective Child Safeguarding Policy was adopted by the Board of Directors on 01.11.2024.

Definitions:

Child: In accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Turkish Law No. 5395 on Child Protection, a child is defined as any individual under the age of 18, even if they reach legal adulthood earlier.

Child Safeguarding Policy: Refers to the responsibility of an institution to ensure that its employees, plans, and activities do not cause harm to children, directly or indirectly, and to report any potential harm to relevant authorities. A child safeguarding policy demonstrates the institution’s commitment to preventing harm and responding appropriately. It facilitates this through structured procedures such as safe working plans, reporting processes, recruitment processes, and behavioral standards.

Child Neglect: Failing to adequately meet a child’s basic needs in areas such as nutrition, shelter, health, education, and development.

Child Abuse and Maltreatment: The exploitation or harm of a child by adults through the misuse of responsibility, trust, or power in physical, emotional, economic, or sexual ways. Cultural contexts may complicate the identification of abuse or maltreatment. Abuse may be unintentional or hidden under the guise of good intentions. The child’s disclosure of harm is key to defining abuse. Failing to act despite being aware of harm to a child is also considered abusive.

Direct Contact with Children: Sharing the same physical or online space with one or more children for any length of time during project activities; conducting interviews/surveys with children, organizing meetings, forums, or workshops involving children are examples.

Child Protection and Child Safeguarding: Child protection refers to the laws, policies, and systems designed by the state to protect children’s rights under international regulations. Child safeguarding refers to institutional measures to ensure that its employees, programs, and activities do not harm children.

Scope of the Child Safeguarding Policy: This Policy applies to the following within the scope of the Association's activities:

1. City Detective Association Team: Board members, all employees, interns, and individuals representing the Association.

2. External Experts: Consultants, specialists, trainers, etc., working on behalf of the Association.

3. Stakeholders: Civil and official institutions in partnership, donors, and grant partners.

4. Service Providers: Suppliers, contractors, and sponsors providing products or services.

5. Visitors: Anyone (journalists, politicians, researchers, public figures, etc.) who visits premises where the Association's programs or activities involving children are conducted.

Responsibility: Implementation of the Policy is the direct responsibility of the Board of Directors, the General Coordinator as the Child Safeguarding Focal Person, and the Field Coordinator.

Procedures:

Risk Prevention: All activities planned by the Association and its stakeholders recognize the risk of physical, emotional, and social harm to children. Potential risks are identified in advance, preventive measures are taken, and appropriate interventions are made when necessary.

Risk Analysis: All project team members are responsible for identifying and minimizing child safeguarding risks from the planning to implementation stages. Safeguarding measures are regularly reviewed and integrated into all processes. Spatial arrangements of program planning are also included. In all events involving children, potential physical risks are identified and minimized in accordance with the principle of the best interests of the child.

Focal Person: The Child Safeguarding Focal Person of the Association is the General Coordinator. Responsibilities include:

• Ensuring child safety in all planning and programming;

• Monitoring risks via feedback and complaints;

• Ensuring recognition of the Focal Person by all staff, stakeholders, visitors, and, when applicable, children involved in direct work.

Code of Conduct: This outlines dos and don’ts for anyone directly or indirectly in contact with children (e.g., consultants, service providers, sponsors) to prevent harm and ensure children feel safe and prioritized under the UN Convention’s principles.

Communication and Media: Staff and stakeholders must obtain children’s images, products, or views in accordance with the Code of Conduct. If used for communication purposes, informed verbal or written consent from the child and written consent from the legal guardian must be obtained.

Protection of Children’s Personal Data: Personal data of children is collected transparently and only as necessary, in accordance with the Law on Protection of Personal Data. Use of such data must serve the child’s best interest, and whenever possible, children and guardians are informed.

In case of witnessing or suspecting a violation of the Policy, individuals representing the Association must urgently report it to the Focal Person via sehirdedektifi1@gmail.com. Reports should include when and where the incident occurred, what happened, and who was involved. The Focal Person may request the establishment of a Child Safeguarding Committee, composed of the Audit Committee and two advisors. The Committee determines areas of intervention and support, and provides updates to both the affected child and their guardian, as well as the accused party, regarding actions taken.

Code of Conduct: This document outlines the behavior expectations for all adults in the Association during any direct contact with children in events or activities:

1. Treats children as equal, rights-holding individuals, respects their privacy, identity, and personality; trusts their potential and protects their autonomy.

2. Understands that all adults, including themselves, are responsible for realizing children's rights.

3. Does not discriminate against children based on personal, family, or community characteristics.

4. Avoids using gendered language (e.g., "my girl", "my boy") in communication.

5. Refrains from smoking, consuming alcohol, or using inappropriate language around children.

6. Avoids physical contact unless necessary and without the child’s clear and voluntary consent.

7. Takes children’s opinions seriously.

8. Listens to and respects different ideas and objections from children, observing and honoring verbal or physical refusals.

9. Plans and organizes activities and spaces according to children's ages and needs, with risk prevention as a priority.

10. Obtains informed consent from both children and legal guardians before recording or using any data, visual or verbal content.

11. Regularly collects feedback from children during direct activities and designs transparent feedback processes.

12. Contacts the Child Safeguarding Focal Person at sehirdedektifi1@gmail.com if there are any concerns or questions regarding the Policy.

Commitment: Şehir Dedektifi Kent Çevre ve Sanat Derneği commits to upholding the behavior principles mentioned above and using legal reporting mechanisms when necessary in all activities affecting children.