Principles for safer spaces in Red Cross activities

The infographic lists the principles for safer spaces. The seven principles for safer spaces are: 1. Be open. Meet new people and things with an open mind. Take every encounter as an opportunity to learn something new and grow. 2. Respect. Pay attention to your choice of words and respect the opinions of others. Do not mock, embarrass, or judge anyone through your speech or behavior. 3. Create a positive atmosphere. Take responsibility for the experiences of others as well. Listen, praise, and encourage. 4. Avoid assumptions. Do not make assumptions based on physical appearance, skin color, ethnicity, religion, gender, age, or speech. Do not make assumptions about gender, background, or ability. 5. Give space. Respect the personal space, privacy, and right to self-determination of others. Ensure that everyone is heard and give everyone the opportunity to participate. 6. Intervene. Do not just stand by if you witness harassment or other inappropriate treatment. 7. Enjoy. Have fun! Ask if something puzzles you and find out more about it.

We want everyone active in the Red Cross to feel welcome and valued as themselves, to be part of a community, to be heard, and to be able to make a difference. A significant part of achieving this is a psychologically safe atmosphere and the actual implementation of the principles for safer spaces – everyone has the right to belong to a safe community.

The principles for safer spaces guide our actions in both our daily work and our events. We are committed to ensuring that the Red Cross is a safe environment for aid recipients, volunteers, employees, and third parties. Together, we follow the principles for safer spaces and guidelines for addressing inappropriate behavior.

Principles for safer spaces: Be open, respect, create a positive atmosphere, avoid assumptions, give space, intervene, and enjoy.

Photo: Red Cross

Everyone has the right to intervene

Intervene in inappropriate behavior by stepping in verbally. Be calm but firm and aim to de-escalate the situation.
Address the person behaving inappropriately about their disruptive conduct. State that you do not accept their behavior and ask them to stop.
Intervene also in discriminatory jokes or comments. Evaluate and decide whether you can intervene immediately or if you will address the matter afterwards.
Offer support to the person who has experienced harassment or discrimination. Guide them to a quiet space. Do not blame the person who was harassed. If you did not witness the situation yourself, ask what happened.
If harassment continues, record what happened and when, who was present, and what was said. This makes it easier to handle the matter later.
Encourage them to take the matter forward and offer to act as a support person.
Report discrimination or harassment to the person in charge of the activity or to the event’s harassment contact person.
If necessary, file a misconduct report.

Intervening in harassment is not easy – do not be afraid of failing. The most important thing is that you try to influence the situation. Thank you for helping to build a safer, healthier, and more equal Red Cross – together!