Effective Community Complaints - Agency Self Audit

All communities have the basic right to register a protest regarding unfair treatment, report cases of wrongdoing and seek that their rights are fulfilled. Such a system is a challenge to implement in the initial response but a system should be established in the first 90 days. Receiving complaints and responding to them is central to accountability, impact and learning. It is also a formal recognition of the power imbalance between beneficiaries and World Vision. Social justice begins to be addressed when these power imbalances are addressed.
A good community complaints mechanism will serve several ends. First, it assists with transparency by creating a channel for people to register concerns. Second, it provides a mechanism for people to report corruption and the abuse of power by the organization or staff, for example the exploitation of vulnerable groups such as children or unaccompanied women. Third, it provides unique and invaluable sources of information to be used for better project management and outcomes.