Whistleblower

In case you have encountered any form of corruption, exploitation, abuse, harassment or any other kind of unacceptable behavior, in the form below you can report any incidents, or suspicion of such incidents. The form and the containing information are always treated confidentially, and YMCA Finland seeks to ensure a safe space for all people in its projects and activities. You can fill the form anonymously, but we encourage you to provide your contact information. This allows us to follow up on your complaint more efficiently.

Who can complain?

  1. Anyone affected by YMCA Finland’s work or projects has a right to complain.
  2. Our partners, volunteers and staff.
  3. Donors and other YMCA Finland stakeholders.

What to complain about?

  • Suspicion of or witness of inappropriate behavior or misconduct by:
  • YMCA Finland staff, representative or volunteer.
  • Partners staff, representative or volunteer working for one of our joint projects, funded by YMCA Finland.
  • Partner programme implementation (where the programme is funded by YMCA Finland).
  • Sexual, physical, verbal or psychological abuse, exploitation or harassment.
  • Suspicion of misuse of funds/ fraud.

YMCA Finland will not consider or handle complaints that are:

  • Accusations that are found to be harmful and designed to serve personal goals or agendas.
  • Any accusations that intend to generate unnecessary bureaucracy and administration, for example reporting matters that have already been discussed and have been decided upon in line with proper procedures.
  • Complaints that are already pending for legal procedures.  
  • Complaints about projects or activities that have not been implemented by YMCA Finland or partners supported by YMCA Finland.

Contact information for complaints:

If you for some reason do not wish to use the online complaint form (below), you can contact YMCA Finland’s he Programme Officer, National General Secretary, the President of YMCA Finland’s Board directly. 

 

 

The form below can be filled in English or Finnish.  

Below the form you can read more about YMCA Finland’s guidelines and policies regarding mismanagement, corruption or harassment in YMCA Finland’s or its partner YMCA’s activity.  

How will a complaint at YMCA Finland be handled?

In case of suspected fraud, corruption, harassment, or abuse reported by staff, volunteers or third parties to YMCA Finland, the complaints will be first sent to an email address which a designated staff member, Programme Officer Liisa Nerg only has access to. The complaints will then reviewed by her and the National General Secretary Juha Virtanen. After  the preview, the complaints will be delegated to the correctly person(s) who will follow up on the case. According to the complaint, other members of the staff or of the board will take part in examining and assessing the complaints. 

The designated members of the staff and/or board will assess the allegation(s) and consider whether to launch an investigation. Feedback on whether the incident will be investigated further will be given to the complainant(s), if they have identified themselves. After concluding the case, the follow-up will meet the Finnish and/or local laws in the country where the incident has taken place. YMCA Finland will do its utmost best to ensure the safety of the person who has brought up the concern.  

YMCA is open and inclusive for all people regardless of their ability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic background as declared in the Value Statement on Inclusion.  

YMCA Finland follows the globally agreed Governance Policy which promotes good governance and transparency among the movement, safeguarding policies (Working with Children and Young People Policy and Procedures and Policies Preventing Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment) and anti-corruption policy. YMCA’s development cooperation is guided by its Ethical Guidelines and is in line with Finnish legislation, Finland’s Development and Human Rights policies. 

YMCA Finland has zero tolerance for corruption. YMCA Finland and its partners always sign an agreement prohibiting any misuse of funds and describing the measures for retrieval of funds in such cases. Within YMCA Finland, good governance is guided by the official rules of the organisation, financial statute, financial audit, performance audit and code of conduct. Additionally, there are extensive guidelines for project management with partner YMCAs.

YMCA Finland is fully committed to protecting, fulfilling and promoting the rights of young people engaged in our programmes. This includes having zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. We have a responsibility to safeguard the health and well-being of children and young people and to protect them from all forms of harm. We seek to ensure that they are treated equally, with dignity and with respect at all times and feel empowered to take an active role in all matters which affect them. We recognise that protecting young people from harm is both a corporate and an individual responsibility. All members of staff, volunteers and trustees are required to respond appropriately to any concerns and allegations of abuse.