August 10, 2026
News
Creating a safe, transparent and accountable environment for the people we work with and serve is at the heart of everything we do. However, maintaining that commitment requires continuous efforts, learning and improvement. With this in mind, Caritas Czech Republic has taken another important step to further strengthen its safeguarding and accountability practices.
Recently, we joined the CHS Alliance Harmonized Reporting Scheme (HRS), a global initiative that promotes common, transparent and responsible reporting of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) across the aid sector. The CHS Alliance is a global network of humanitarian and development organisations working together to make aid more accountable and effective for the people it serves. Through this scheme, participating organisations share anonymised data via a secure platform, helping build a clearer, collective understanding of risks, trends and challenges across the sector, while fully protecting the privacy of individuals.
Sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment remain serious and unacceptable abuse of power that can cause significant harm, fear and loss of trust among the people and communities we serve. Evidence across the sector shows that women, girls and children are still disproportionately affected. At the same time, experience across the sector shows that only a number of cases are reported directly by the survivors themselves.
This highlights the importance of not only strengthening reporting systems internally, but also working closely with communities to ensure that people understand their rights, feel safe to speak up, and know how and where to report concerns.
For us at Caritas, it is not just about reporting. By contributing to shared data, we help identify trends, improve prevention and strengthen how we respond to incidents. It also sends a clear message to the aid sector and the local communities we serve: reporting is not a failure, but a sign of accountability, transparency and a commitment to learn and do better. It ultimately helps make humanitarian action safer and more reliable for everyone involved.
“Joining the scheme is an important step in strengthening how we protect the people we assist,” says Lucie Hrabcová, MEAL Unit Manager at Caritas Czech Republic. “By sharing anonymised data, we contribute to a safer environment not only within our organisation, but across the humanitarian sector.”
At the same time, the scheme also aligns us with the expectations of key donors while supporting our long-term goal and commitment to delivering aid that is safe, respectful and trustworthy.
