Hopolang Mokhopi
LOCAL non-profit organization, Partners In Health (PIH) Lesotho, has joined the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme (MDS), marking a significant step towards reinforcing its commitment to provide safeguards against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (PSEAH) within its workforce.
The MDS facilitates the sharing of misconduct data between employers and is currently implemented by over 320 organizations globally. It helps improve reference checks and ensures that perpetrators of sexual misconduct are not able to move undetected between organizations.
PIH Lesotho’s Human Resources Manager, Toka Senkoto, said joining MDS was a milestone that reaffirmed his organisation’s unwavering commitment to fostering a safe and ethical work environment.
“The Misconduct Disclosure Scheme was launched in January 2019 to address the critical issue of known sexual abusers evading detection during recruitment processes,” Mr Senkoto said.
“The Scheme complements traditional vetting methods, such as police checks, by systematically verifying misconduct history with previous employers locally and globally. It facilitates the bilateral sharing of misconduct-related data between recruiting organizations and former employers, ensuring that individuals with records of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) are identified before they can continue harmful behaviours elsewhere around the world.”
Mr Senkoto also said the initiative was facilitated by the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response and hosted by the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Alliance, with financial support from the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.
“Through its membership, PIH Lesotho is taking proactive steps to reinforce its safe recruitment practices and align with international safeguarding and PSEAH standards.
“The journey to this achievement involved a rigorous process, including compliance with multiple requirements, extensive assessments, and a series of consultations. This culminated in the orientation of the Lesotho Site Safeguarding Office regarding its custodianship of the scheme.
“This exciting affiliation brings several commitments and operational changes, including the inclusion of PIH Lesotho’s details on the scheme’s website for cross-checking and contact, recruitment selection frameworks, and job advertisements reflecting the organisation’s affiliation with the scheme and signalling consent for global information exchange. Additionally, there will be enhanced and intensified vetting and background checks for prospective recruits, among other procedures.
“By joining the Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, PIH Lesotho is not only reinforcing its safeguarding and PSEAH policies but also actively contributing to a broader global effort to eliminate SEAH in the humanitarian and development sectors. This initiative aligns with our commitment to the Theory of Change in Transformative Safeguarding. The Scheme aims to improve current referencing practices and build confidence that requesting data related to sexual misconduct is both practically and legally possible,” Mr Senkoto said.
