Why to Design Institutional Policies with Girls in Mind?

Institutional policy documents that are designed and implemented with considering girls demonstrate an organization’s commitment to preventing any harm to children as a result of its contact with children within the scope of its operations and to taking appropriate, restorative interventions when needed.

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Designing institutional policies with girl-centered approach takes three to five months and consists of three main phases:

  • Phase 1: Preparation
    • Step 1: Forming a Working Group
    • Step 2: Situation Analysis — What Do We Have?
  • Phase 2: Preparing the Institutional Policy Document
    • Step 1: Define the Purpose
    • Step 2: Agree on Principles and Definitions
    • Step 3: Define the Scope
    • Step 4: Establish the Mechanism (Procedures)
  • Phase 3: Updating the Institutional Policy Document

Preparation: Situation Analysis

Institutional policies and their related mechanisms are living structures that evolve as your organization grows, learns, and transforms. It is both natural and necessary to periodically review and update these documents to ensure they continue to meet the organization’s needs and remain effective. This phase generally takes one to two months, though it can be extended or shortened as needed.

Step 1: Forming a Working Group
Step 2: Situation Analysis — What Do We Have?

Preparing the Institutional Policy Document

In this phase, your organization defines the steps, actions, and measures required to achieve the objectives defined; in other words, your organization declares the specific commitments and actions. When planning, do not forget to consider all related areas that policy might affect such as human resources, recruitment, procurement, and visibility.

Your organization would either adapt and transform existing policies and procedures through a girl-centered lens or develop new girl-centered institutional policies and relevant procedures. The goal shall not be to prepare a policy that only exists on paper or is known by a few people, but to design a functional, operational, and preventive structure that truly meets the identified needs and achieves its intended purpose. This phase usually takes one and a half to two months, though it can be extended or shortened as needed.

Step 1: Define the Purpose
Step 2: Agree on Principles and Definitions
Step 3: Define the Scope
Step 4: Establish the Mechanism (Procedures)

Updating the Institutional Policy Document

Institutional policies and their related mechanisms are living structures that evolve as your organization grows, learns, and transforms. It is both natural and necessary to periodically review and update these documents to ensure they continue to meet the organization’s needs and remain effective. This phase generally takes one to two months, though it can be extended or shortened as needed.