1. Who can I talk to when I feel or observe something disturbing, or when someone confides in me? What should I do if I myself am a victim of sexual violence/harassment or spiritual abuse? What should I do if I notice this in the people around me during my stay in Taizé?

Don’t stay all alone. Always seek help from the following safeguarding services. You can choose from the following options:

• call directly the lead safeguarding brother or send an sms on +33 749 04 75 85. 24h/24. The brother will put those who express the wish immediately in touch with a female listener.
• come to La Morada or Casa and contact the lead safeguarding brother.
• email taize.safeguarding@protonmail.com - (the Reports Reception and Monitoring Team will respond to you within 24 hours)
• get in touch with independent safeguarding organisations in your own country via their helplines (for example: UK +44 800 1111, the Childline service of the NSPCC; US +1-800-422-4453 to reach the Child Help hotline).
• you can also contact a safeguarding officer in your local church.

2. What is the role of the brother who replies to the emergency number?

• to listen to the person with empathy and total discretion.
• to put those who express the wish immediately in touch with a female listener.
• make the connection with the people best placed to support the person.
• to inform the legal guardians in the case of minors.
• to inform the Reports Reception and Monitoring Team in writing of each situation (while preserving anonymity) so that they can give advice on the best way to act.

3. Who receives the messages sent to the safeguarding address?

The address  taize.safeguarding@protonmail.com is managed by the Reports Reception and Monitoring Team, a group of three people who are not members of the Taizé Community*:

1. Cécile Jubert, Psychotherapist specialising in the subject of sexual violence (France)
2. Noël Rosé, Honorary lawyer (France)
3. Alzira Fernandez, psycho-spiritual counselor (Portugal).

*mandated by the Taizé Community and the Association de l’Accueil à Taizé (the legal entity for the meetings in Taizé), under a delegation agreement.

4. What is the role of the Reports Reception and Monitoring Team?

• To handle reports of physical, emotional or spiritual abuse, situations of overbearing control, sexual assault or violence of any kind, which may have occurred during meetings in Taizé, or in meetings run by the Taizé Community, whoever the alleged perpetrators may be.
• Listening to victims without any bias and taking their concerns seriously.
• File a criminal report in all cases where required by law.
• Helping victims-survivors to undertake, if they so wish, a legal process of compensation and/or recovery.
• Forward the report, in anonymised form, to the organisers of the meeting in question and propose measures to try and prevent any recurrence of the incidents reported.
• Always provide victims with friendly and comforting assistance, according to their needs or wishes.

This team undertakes to work independently, to follow up any reports received as quickly as possible and to maintain the confidentiality of its work.

Data is received and stored throughout the process in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation and the French Data Protection Act (Loi Informatique et Libertés).

5. I’m already back home and I need to share something difficult that happened to me or that I witnessed in Taizé. What can I do?

There are several options:

• speak with someone you trust from the group you came with.
• write to the community community@taize.fr or to the Reports Reception and Monitoring Team taize.safeguarding@protonmail.com.
• contact a national hotline (for example: UK +44 800 1111, the Childline service of the NSPCC; US +1-800-422-4453 to reach the ChildHelp hotline).
• speak with a local church safeguarding officer.