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CHILD PROTECTION POLICY

Safeguarding African girls and young women across all ROTAGI Programs and platforms

Effective: May 2026 | Reviewed annually

1. OUR COMMITMENT

ROTAGI is committed to protecting the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of every child in our community.

We work with African girls from the age of 10. Every child who participates in our Programs online or in person has the right to be safe, respected, and free from harm, abuse, and exploitation.

This policy follows a "do no harm" approach and is aligned with:

  • The Child Rights Act (Nigeria, 2003)
  • The Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA, 2023)
  • The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
  • International safeguarding standards

2. WHO THIS POLICY APPLIES TO

This policy applies to everyone involved with ROTAGI:

  • Participants across all Programs
  • Staff and volunteers
  • Mentors and facilitators
  • Board of Trustees
  • Partners and sponsors
  • Event attendees and platform users
A child is defined as any person under the age of 18.

3. SAFEGUARDING LEADERSHIP

ROTAGI has designated safeguarding leads responsible for all child protection matters.

Designated Safeguarding Lead

Olayemi Arokayo
olayemi@rotagif.com
Executive Director, ROTAGI
Disclosure Scotland PVG Scheme (UK)

Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Lola Inès Raïssa Agondogo
lagondogo@rotagif.com
Safeguarding Lead, ROTAGI
DBS Certified, Disclosure and Barring Service (UK)

4. OUR SAFEGUARDING PRINCIPLES

ROTAGI operates under the following principles:

  • Zero tolerance: No form of abuse or harm is accepted
  • Child first approach: The best interests of the child come first
  • Empowerment: African girls are encouraged to speak up and be heard
  • Confidentiality: Information is handled responsibly and shared only when necessary to protect a child
  • Accountability: Everyone connected to ROTAGI is responsible for safeguarding

4Rs framework: ROTAGI applies the Recognise, Respond, Report, and Record framework across safeguarding practice.

5 . KEEPING CHILDREN SAFE

ROTAGI takes active steps to protect children across all environments:

Safe Recruitment

  • ✓Identity checks and references
  • ✓Background checks where applicable
  • ✓Mandatory safeguarding agreement and training before any work begins

Safe Program Delivery

  • ✓No private one to one interactions
  • ✓All communication through official ROTAGI platforms only
  • ✓Adult supervision in all physical and virtual sessions

Online Safety

  • ✓Regular monitoring of the ROTAGI learning platform
  • ✓No private messaging between adults and minors
  • ✓Parental consent required before any participant under 18 may access the platform

6. MEDIA AND CONSENT

  • No child is photographed or recorded without prior written parental consent
  • Personal details are never shared publicly
  • Images of children are used respectfully, in dignified and empowering contexts only
  • Consent can be withdrawn at any time

7. REPORTING A CONCERN

If you are concerned about a child's safety however small the concern please report it immediately.

You do not need to be certain. If something feels wrong, tell us.

1
Report immediately to the Designated Safeguarding Lead.
Email Oarokayo@rotagilf.com or lagondogo@rotagilf.com. Do not delay.
2
Do not investigate the situation yourself.
Do not confront the person involved.
3
Write down what you observed, heard, or were told using the child's own words where possible.
Include the date, time, and location.
4
Send your written account to the Safeguarding Lead within 24 hours.
All reports are handled confidentially and acted upon promptly.
ROTAGI will never penalise anyone who raises a concern in good faith.

8. CHILD HARM RESPONSE PROTOCOL (ZERO TOLERANCE)

Any incident involving harm to a child including physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, or criminal negligence is treated as a critical safeguarding incident and handled outside routine processes.

ROTAGI enforces zero tolerance in all such cases.

Upon a credible report:

  • Immediate Safeguarding Action: The individual is suspended from all activities pending investigation
  • Mandatory Reporting: Relevant law enforcement and child protection authorities are notified within 24 hours
  • Internal Escalation: The Designated Safeguarding Lead assumes full case management
  • Permanent Removal: Where substantiated, the individual is permanently removed from ROTAGI with no possibility of reinstatement

9. DATA PROTECTION AND CONFIDENTIALITY

ROTAGI protects all personal data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA 2023).

Safeguarding information is:

  • Stored securely with restricted access
  • Accessed only when necessary to protect a child
  • Shared only with those who need it including relevant authorities where required by law

10. POLICY REVIEW

This policy is reviewed annually or when required due to:

  • Changes to Nigerian child protection law
  • A safeguarding incident
  • Changes to ROTAGI's Programs or platforms

This version is effective from May 2026 and will be reviewed by May 2027.