Table of Contents

Child Protection        2

Child Protection Policy        2

Child Protection Commitment        2

Child Protection Education and Awareness        3

The Curriculum        4

Primary School Child Protection Curriculum Overview        4

Secondary School Child Protection Curriculum Overview        5

Child Protection Curriculum Delivery        6

Child Protection Identification Guidelines        6

Child Protection Reporting Procedures        9

Child Protection Disclosure Flow Chart        9

Procedures for reporting suspected cases of child abuse or neglect        10

Confidentiality        11

Appendix A: AISL Parent Child Protection Expectations        12

Appendix B: Child Protection Resources        13

References        14

Child Protection

Child Protection Policy

The American International School of Lusaka (AISL) is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and has demonstrated this commitment throughout this Child Protection Handbook. In alignment with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the American International School of Lusaka (AISL) seeks to be a safe haven for all students, particularly those who may be experiencing abuse, neglect, or harassment in their lives.  As such, AISL distributes this policy annually to all parents and applicants, communicates this policy annually to students, provides training for all staff, makes every effort to implement hiring practices to ensure the safety of children, and reviews the policy annually for compliance and effectiveness.

AISL has adopted the definition of child abuse and neglect as defined by the World Health Organization. According to the World Health Organization, child abuse constitutes “all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power.”  (WHO, June, 2020, para. 2) 

Child abuse and neglect are concerns throughout the world. They violate a child’s human rights and are obstacles to the child’s education as well as to his or her physical, emotional, and spiritual development. The American International School of Lusaka endorses the United Nations UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, of which our host country, Zambia, is a signatory, and AISL has a zero tolerance policy for child abuse, neglect, and harassment.

AISL recognizes that all cases of suspected child abuse, neglect, or harassment require careful, confidential and prompt investigation.  All staff employed at the school must report suspected incidents of child abuse, neglect, or harassment whenever the staff member has reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered, or is at significant risk of suffering, abuse, neglect, or harassment. Reporting and follow up of all suspected incidents will proceed in accordance with administrative procedures included in this policy.  Furthermore, cases of suspected child abuse, neglect, or harassment may be reported to the parent/guardian, to the appropriate employer, to the respective Embassy or Consulate in Lusaka, Zambia, and to Zambian legal authorities.  AISL may report cases of suspected child abuse and neglect of an American citizen (student) to the Regional Security Officer at the United States Embassy. 

In the case of a staff member reported as an alleged offender, the American International School of Lusaka will conduct a prompt inquiry and follow Board policy pursuant to the AISL Employee Code of Ethics and discipline procedures outlined Faculty Handbook. At all times, the safety of the child will be the highest priority. 

Child Protection Commitment

^[1]AISL is committed to the safety and protection of children. The AISL Child Protection commitment is aligned with the AISL Employee Code of Ethics and applies to all faculty, staff, employees, and volunteers who represent the school and who interact with children or young people in both a direct and/or unsupervised capacity. The policy also applies to any external adults interacting with students (e.g., guest speakers, sports coaches from other schools, ISSEA host families, etc.), and to situations that may occur during school-related events both on and off campus.

AISL employees and other adults interacting with students are to strictly follow the rules and guidelines in the AISL Child Protection Policy as a condition of providing services to the children and youth participating in AISL programs.

^[2]All AISL employees are expected to:

• Treat everyone with respect, patience, integrity, courtesy, dignity, and consideration.
• Leave the door open when working independently with a student.
• Use positive reinforcement rather than criticism, competition, or comparison when working with children and/or youth.
• Maintain appropriate physical boundaries at all times; make physical contact that is appropriate, in a public setting, and when explicit consent is given by the student (i.e. a hug from the side, guiding by the shoulder).
• Comply with the mandatory reporting regulations of AISL and with the AISL policy to report suspected child neglect, abuse, or harassment.
• Cooperate fully in any investigation of abuse of children and/or youth.
• Supervise the bathrooms, showers, changing rooms, using professional judgement as to how they enter (i.e. knocking before entering, announcing their presence, direct entry if they feel there is a situation that endangers child well-being).
• Only take images of students for school-sanctioned purposes. Any images that have been taken must be promptly transferred (within one week) to a school-approved platform.
• When attending to toileting matters with very young children, care will be provided in a manner that maintains the child’s dignity and avoids distress. A teacher or teaching assistant will inform another colleague before assisting a child with toileting matters.
• In cases of distance learning, one-on-one meetings with students and staff members must be arranged through Google Meet and recorded by the staff member, with the exception of confidential counseling sessions led by a school counselor. In addition, staff members must ensure that virtual meetings with students do not take place in the student’s bedroom or bathroom

AISL employees will not:

• Inflict any physical or emotional abuse on students, such as striking, spanking, shaking, slapping, humiliating, ridiculing, threatening, degrading, or any other behavior deemed inappropriate.  
• Touch or speak to a student in a sexual, inappropriate or profane manner, as per AISL’s Anti-Sexual Harassment and Assault Policy.
• Smoke or use tobacco products, or possess, or be under the influence of alcohol or drugs at any time while working directly with or being responsible for students.
• Give a child (who is not their own child) a ride home without express written permission from the child’s parent/guardian AND the approval of their direct supervisor.
• Leave campus alone with a child (who is not their own child) without express written permission from the child’s parent/guardian AND the approval of their direct supervisor.
• Accept gifts from or give gifts to children or youth without the knowledge of their parents or guardians.
• Engage in private communications with children via text messaging, email, Facebook, Twitter or similar forms of electronic or social media, except for critical cases known to the Child Protection Team.
• Use changing/restroom facilities designated for students.
• ^[3]Post student photos on personal social media accounts.

Note: All AISL employees are subject to a criminal history background check.

In the event that the abuse, neglect, or harassment allegation involves a staff or faculty member of AISL, the Principal and School Director will follow board policy pursuant to the AISL Employee Code of Ethics and discipline procedures outlined Faculty and Staff Handbooks.

Child Protection Education and Awareness

^[4]AISL is committed to educate and develop awareness about child protection to all stakeholders in our community. This includes the following; school policy, child protection identification guidelines, reporting procedures, child protection commitment, and preventative measures (school curriculum). Review of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child will be included.

Below is a table outlining AISL’s commitment to educate all adult stakeholders in our community.  

The Curriculum

The curriculum in the primary and secondary schools is developmental and based upon the recommendations of The Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) presented in the Association’s Child Protection Handbook (2016).

Primary School Child Protection Curriculum Overview

^[5]As part of our Personal and Social Education program in Primary school, the following areas are taught as part of our child protection education for children. Our teaching points includes:

Emotional Safety:

Every person is worthy of protection

Every person has the right to be safe

Every person is important

Every person can speak up for themselves and others

Every person can defend themselves from harm

Every person can speak up for what they need

Using an I-message helps us communicate our feelings in a respectful way

Physical Safety:

Using awareness helps us stay safe

Being calm and confident helps us stay safe

We can move out of reach if we sense/see trouble

We can persist in getting help from adults

Having a safety plan in place is important

Boundaries:

We each belong to ourselves (my body is mine)

Some things are not a choice (for health and safety reasons,a parent or medical professional may need to see/touch our private parts)

Problems should not be secrets

We should keep telling until we get help

Physical Touch:

Must never be a secret

Must be safe

Touch for fun, play and affection must be the choice of both people

We can change our minds

We respect our friends choice if they change their mind

Secondary School Child Protection Curriculum Overview

^[6]Child abuse, neglect, and harassment are problems of growing concern, a violation of children’s human rights, and an obstacle to child and youth education and development. Educators have a special role in combating child abuse.

The Grade 6-12 AISL Child Protection curriculum is designed to be flexible and adaptable, and may be modified to meet student needs. Secondary School Counselors will take the lead and deliver the curriculum through the Advisory Program, Physical Education, or a grade level seminar.

The curriculum has four main concepts:

• IDENTIFY! - Students will learn how to identify safe and unsafe situations
• ACCESS! - Students will learn how to access support structures
• ACT! - Students will learn how to act to stay safe
• VALUE! - Students will learn how to value themselves and others

This curriculum is designed to meet the range of developmental needs and is vertically aligned.

AISA (2016) states in their Child Protection handbook that, “Culture plays a large role in how people discuss and define personal safety and abuse. Personal space and acceptable behaviors vary across the globe. Students in the international school setting bring many different cultural perspectives to the class discussion. However, culture should never be used to excuse inappropriate behavior. Students should feel confident relying on a “gut feeling” if they are unsure if a touch or situation is appropriate or inappropriate. They are the ones who ultimately decide what is appropriate or inappropriate, safe or unsafe. Educators are uniquely positioned to be present if students need help and help them learn how to advocate for and protect themselves.”

The four core concepts of the secondary curriculum remain the same in each grade: Identify, Access, Act, and Value. Teaching – and re-teaching – these essential learning objectives are key to student learning.

Developmentally appropriate content and delivery for each lesson ensures a varied and rich learning experience.

Child Protection Curriculum Delivery

^[7]Below is a table describing the manner in which AISL delivers the Child Protection Curriculum to students in Kindergarten through Grade 12.

Child Protection Identification Guidelines

From: Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA) Child Protection Handbook, 2016

How is abuse defined?
Definitions of abuse are complex and based in various cultures of child-rearing behaviors, gender and role responsibilities, and family expectations. The primary determination of abuse is dependent on some form of a relationship that is used to meet the needs of the more powerful person, either a member of the family, a teacher, or a friend. Research guides the definitions below that are based in understanding the impact of certain behaviors.

Physical abuse:

• Inflicting physical injury on a child by other than accidental means, causing skin bruising, burns, disfigurement, impairment of physical or emotional health, or loss or impairment of any bodily function, death; and/or
• Creating a substantial risk of physical harm to a child’s bodily functioning; and/or
• Committing acts that are cruel or inhumane regardless of observable injury. Such acts may include, but are not limited to, instances of extreme discipline demonstrating a disregard of a child’s pain and/or mental suffering; and/or
• Assaulting or criminally mistreating a child as defined by either the criminal code; and/or
• Engaging in actions or omissions resulting in injury to, or creating a substantial risk to the physical or mental health or development of a child; and/or
• Failing to take reasonable steps to prevent the occurrence of any of the above.

Possible Indicators of Physical Abuse:

• Unexplained bruises and welts on any part of the body
• Bruises of different ages (various colors)
• Injuries reflecting shape of article used (e.g. electric cord, belt, buckle, ping pong paddle, hand)
• Injuries that regularly appear after absence or vacation
• Unexplained burns, especially to soles, palms, back, or buttocks
• Burns with a pattern from an electric burner, iron, or cigarette
• Rope burns on arms, legs, neck, or torso
• Injuries inconsistent with information offered by the child
• Immersion burns with a distinct boundary line
• Unexplained lacerations, abrasions, or fractures
• Repeated urinary infections or unexplained stomach pains
• Withdrawal from physical contact
• Arms and legs covered in hot weather
• Fear of returning home or parents being contacted
• Wariness or distrust toward adults
• Self-destructive tendencies
• Aggression toward others
• Extreme or uncharacteristic passivity or compliance
• Chronic running away

Emotional abuse:

Emotional abuse is the persistent emotional ill treatment of a child so as to cause severe and adverse

effects on a child’s emotional development. It may involve: conveying to children that they are worthless or unloved; that they are inadequate or valued only insofar as they meet the needs of another person; age or developmentally inappropriate expectations being imposed on children; causing children frequently to feel frightened; or the exploitation or corruption of children. Some level of emotional abuse is involved in all types of ill-treatment of a child, though it may also occur alone.

Possible indicators of emotional abuse:

• Physical, mental and emotional development is delayed
• Highly anxious
• Showing delayed speech or sudden speech disorder
• Fear of new situations
• Low self-esteem
• Inappropriate emotional responses to painful situations
• Extremes of passivity or aggression
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Chronic running away
• Compulsive stealing
• Obsessions or phobias
• Sudden under-achievement or lack of concentration
• Attention-seeking behavior
• Persistent tiredness
• Lying

Sexual abuse

Sexual abuse is committing or allowing to be committed any sexual offense against a child as defined in the AISL Anti-Sexual Harassment and Assault Policy. Sexual abuse has distinct characteristics that warrant special attention. While physical abuse is often the result of immediate stress and not usually planned, sexual abuse requires planning with results that are more insidious.

The planning to commit sexual abuse, referred to as grooming, often results in victims accepting the blame, responsibility, guilt and/or shame for the sexual behavior of the offender. The commission of sexual abuse requires far more secrecy than other forms of child abuse; therefore, sexual abuse is more difficult to report.

Many victims, through the process of grooming, are taught that sexual abuse is a form of love, so tend to love their offender and may present as happy and well-adjusted children with no negative symptoms because of their perception of being loved.

Possible Indicators of Sexual Abuse:

• Sexual knowledge, behavior, games or use of language not appropriate to age level
• Unusual interpersonal relationship patterns
• Venereal disease in a child of any age
• Evidence of physical trauma, pain, irritation, or bleeding to the oral, genital, or anal areas
• Vaginal or penile discharge
• Difficulty with urination
• Difficulty in walking or sitting or stomach pains
• Refusing to change into PE clothes, fear of bathrooms
• Child running away from home and not giving any specific complaint
• Not wanting to be alone with an individual
• Pregnancy, especially at a young age
• Extremely protective parenting
• Fear of people or places, especially fear of a particular adult
• Aggression
• Regressive behaviors, bedwetting, stranger anxiety
• Excessive masturbation/sexual provocation
• Mention of receiving special attention from an adult or a new “secret” friendship with an adult or young person

Neglect

^[8]Neglect is failure to provide for a child’s basic needs within their own environment.

• Physical (e.g., failure to provide necessary food or shelter, or lack of appropriate supervision – this would include failure to provide proper adult guardianship, such as leaving children unsupervised at home for any extended period of time. )
• Medical (e.g., failure to provide necessary medical or mental health treatment); and/or
• Emotional (e.g., a pattern of actions, such as: inattention to a child’s emotional needs,

failure to provide psychological care, or permitting the child to use alcohol or other drugs, specific examples may include verbal humiliation, refusing to acknowledge presence of a child, invasion of privacy for no specific reason, violent threats, etc.)

Note: AISL requires that one parent/guardian be a full-time resident of Lusaka and living in the same residence as their child(ren). Should parents/guardians leave the country or residence for any reason, the responsibility for informing the school of the temporary guardian’s name, address, and all appropriate contact details lies with the parent or guardian.

Possible indicators of neglect;

• Child is unwashed or hungry
• Medical needs are unattended
• Fatigue or listlessness
• Self-destructive tendencies
• Extreme loneliness
• Extreme need for affection
• Failure to grow
• Low self-esteem
• Frequent tardiness or absence at school
• Poor social relationships
• Compulsive stealing
• Drug or alcohol abuse
• Parents are uninterested in child’s academic performance
• Parents do not respond to repeated communications from the school
• Child does not want to go home
• Both parents or legal guardian are absent from Lusaka for any period of 24 hours or greater
• Parents cannot be reached in the case of an emergency

Note: Behavior indicators alone do not constitute abuse or neglect. Together with other indicators, such as family dynamics, a referral may be made to the school counselor or administration.  

Child Protection Reporting Procedures

What happens when a staff member has reasonable cause to suspect?

These indicators of abuse and neglect will be used by the staff member as a guideline for reporting to the Designated Child Protection Leader. The counselors will then meet and decide to convene a Child Protection meeting that may involve the principal, counselor, and/or Title IX Coordinator (for cases of a sexual nature). A report must be made within 24-hours of a staff member having reasonable cause to believe that a child has suffered abuse or neglect. ^[9]Reports will be kept confidential to the extent that the law and school policies permit, keeping the welfare of the child a priority.

Child Protection Disclosure Flow Chart 

Procedures for reporting suspected cases of child abuse or neglect

Step 1: Reporting:
When a child reports abuse or there is reasonable cause to believe that abuse or neglect is occurring, the AISL staff member will seek advice from the Designated Child Protection Leader within 24 hours. A meeting between all the counselors will follow and The Child Protection Response Team will meet within 24 hours to address the report and plan an investigation. The response team will include at least the Principal, Counselor, and in some cases, the other Counselors, the School Nurse, and other individuals deemed necessary. In all cases, follow up activities will be conducted in a manner that ensures that information is documented factually and that strict confidentiality is maintained. The following procedure will be used:

• Interview reporting staff members as necessary and document information relative to the case.
• Consult with school personnel to review the child’s history in the school.
• Determine the course of follow-up actions.

Step 2: Action Plan
Based on acquired information, a plan of action will be developed to assist the child and family. Actions that may take place are:

• Discussions between the child and counselor in order to gain more information. Depending upon the age of the child, these discussions may include drawing pictures and playing with dolls to elicit more information as to what may have occurred. The child should be consulted and supported regarding further steps that may be taken, including discussions with parents and outside authorities.
• In-class observations of the child by the teacher, counselor, or administrator.
• Meetings with the family to present AISL’s concerns.
• Referral of the student and family to external professional counseling.
• Meeting with a staff member, if suspected.

In cases of severe abuse or where outside authority and intervention is deemed or legally necessary, one or more of these possible actions will follow:

• Notification of the management of the sponsoring employer of the concern with the child/family, or to the child welfare office at the family’s home country.
• Consultation with the consulate of the country of the involved family.
• Consultation with an attorney.
• Formal or informal consultation with local authorities.
• Implementation of the Faculty Code of Ethics consequences.

Note: AISL is expected to report suspicion of neglect and/or abuse of a child of a US citizen to the Regional Security Officer at the US Embassy.

In the event that the abuse or neglect allegation involves a staff or faculty member of AISL, the Principal and School Director will follow board policy, pursuant to ethical professional behavior and consequence of actions outlined in the Faculty Handbooks.

Step 3: Follow up
Subsequent to a reported and/or substantiated case of child abuse or neglect:

• The counselor will maintain contact with the child and family to provide support and guidance as appropriate.
• The counselor will provide the child’s teachers and the principal with ongoing support.
• The counselor will provide resource materials and strategies for teacher use.
• The counselor will maintain contact with any outside professionals and organizations involved in order to update the progress of the child in school.
• The counselor is not responsible for providing in depth counseling to the offender.

^[10]All documentation of the investigation will be kept in the child’s confidential records file. When a student moves to a new school, the Child Protection Team will meet to determine whether and to what degree to pass information along to the new school within the limits of the law and professional responsibility. AISL will make every attempt to share information that it deems necessary to protect the child.

In case of reports of sexual abuse, the School and Title IX Coordinator may consult with a trained, independent investigator.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is essential UNLESS someone discloses that they or someone else is in danger. In such cases, it is the responsibility as AISL to do whatever is necessary to get help.

Appendix A: AISL Parent Child Protection Expectations

We acknowledge that by enrolling our children at AISL, we understand the commitment to upholding rights and protecting all children.  We also recognize the importance of these values in the education of our children, and agree to reinforce these values at home. 

I / We undertake to:

• Support AISL’s Child Protection Policy and guidelines on behavior and equal opportunities.
• Be present in Lusaka, and if we must leave, arrange a caretaker for our child/children, and inform the school of those arrangements, including emergency contact information, to the Secondary School or Primary School Main Office. This caretaker must be able to serve in the capacity of in loco parentis, with full authority to make parental decisions to ensure appropriate supervision and to respond to a medical emergency.
• Share in the responsibility to bring forth information that supports AISL’s Child Protection Policy with respect to the “Child Protection Disclosure Flowchart”.

The AISL Child Protection Policy works for the child, for the family, and for our community

Research indicates that international communities are as prone to child abuse as communities in their home country. Child abuse is a multi-faceted issue that involves dynamics of the child, the family, and the community. The AISL Child Protection Policy works to respond at all three levels.

Appendix B: Child Protection Resources

Child Protection Response Unit

Under Ministry of Gender & Child Development

Office of the President

Department of Child Development

Provincial Administration

P.O. Box 34430, Lusaka

Zambia

Contact person: Mr. Dominique Silubanji

Assistant to the Child Provincial Coordinator

Cell #: 0967-952024

Email: lskprov@zamnet.zm

Zambian Police & Department of Social Welfare Child Protection

Unit  Ph: 0979300715 / 0955300003 / 0977452680

Child Line

http://www.lifelinezambia.org.zm 

Childline Zambia is a Toll Free Telephone counseling and guidance service. This service aims at promoting child protection and is accessible for both child callers and those calling on behalf of children.

Call For Free Childline 116

References

United Nations. "A Summary Guide to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child." Save the Children International, UNCRC, www.savethechildren.net/sites/www.savethechildren.net/files/A%20summary%20guide%20to%20the%20UN%20Convention%20on%20the%20rights%20of%20the%20child.pdf.