3 Questions with Margarett Lubin: Creating Safe and Inclusive Spaces

At Chemonics, safeguarding – protecting a person’s right to live safely, free from violence, abuse, and neglect – is integral to the work we do. With over 20 years of experience at various organizations, Senior Safeguarding Advisor Margarett Lubin shares her insights into the importance of safeguarding, and of campaigns such as the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV).

What drew you to international development work?

A sense of duty to contribute to the global realizing of inherent human rights and make a positive impact. My journey into international development began in humanitarian work supporting vulnerable populations through the creation and implementation of protection frameworks, particularly for those at greater risk of violence and exploitation. It was family reunification work early in my career that set me on a safeguarding pathway.

I have had the opportunity to work across a range of safeguarding programs, from the protection of marginalized groups (e.g., children, women, the elderly, and people with disabilities) supporting research on sexual exploitation and abuse against children in humanitarian contexts and child trafficking, to leading investigations into sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse (SHEA) and coordinating trauma-informed services for survivors. Each of these roles offered invaluable insights into the unique vulnerabilities individuals faced in different contexts, particularly women and children.

Seeing children’s vulnerability and identifying gaps in existing systems meant to protect them is often heart-wrenching but knowing that our findings lead to meaningful actions always make every effort worthwhile. In 2013, as part of a child protection in education program where I was assessing the safeguarding policies and procedures of community schools in Lima, I engaged with students to understand the vulnerabilities they were facing and gain their perspective of how to strengthen existing safeguarding systems within their schools. In this case, we created child-friendly reporting mechanisms, and child-led awareness initiatives that can empower students, particularly girls, to become safeguarding ambassadors, enabling them to advocate for their own safety and well-being.

In every safeguarding collaboration – from frontline service delivery to research – I encountered critical safeguarding gaps, and opportunities, and saw firsthand the crucial role that safeguarding must continue to play in preventing harm. This has deepened my commitment to contribute to building systems that not only protect individuals from harm but also embed a culture of safety, well-being, and accountability within programs, communities, and organizations – which is the main goal of the practice.

I joined Chemonics in April 2024, and as my safeguarding journey continues, my focus remains clear: to proactively contribute to the implementation of systems that foster and sustain safe and inclusive environments, free from SHEA, violence, child abuse, neglect, discrimination, human trafficking, and other forms of harm; and support our staff and programs in ensuring that the services we provide globally are delivered responsibly, with robust safeguards to prevent any inadvertent harm.

What are the best ways to prevent and respond to harm, especially as it relates to gender-based violence?

Effective prevention and response to harm, particularly GBV, require a proactive, multi-layered approach tailored to specific contexts (focusing both on the individual, their community, and the systemic factors that facilitate GBV). This practice hinges on understanding the complexities surrounding GBV, a commitment to learning from those we serve, and continuously adapting our policies and practices to maintain truly safe environments. At its core, successful GBV prevention and response also rely on consistently applying the fundamental safeguarding principles, including clear communication, trust-building and partnership, trauma-informed care, awareness and capacity building, context-sensitive and culturally relevant interventions, accountability and transparency, safe and accessible reporting mechanisms, and comprehensive risk assessments and MEL.

For me, risk assessment remains the main driver of quality programming and risks prevention, including GBV risks. Recently, I supported safeguarding research for the UK government funded Transparency and Accountability for Inclusive Development Mozambique (POTENCIAR). My role involved ensuring the safety and dignity of research participants through provision of technical guidance, quality assurance, and tools and resources, including a focus group discussion guide, to enable us to collect information on the specific risks facing the targeted communities and act to mitigate them. By embracing evidence-based practices, we can remain vigilant in identifying and addressing evolving GBV risks across various contexts, allowing us to adapt our policies and practices accordingly and ensure that program participants’ safety and well-being remain a priority in everything we do.

In 2022, at the onset of the Ukraine crisis that led to a significant influx of displaced individuals, most of whom women and children, I led safeguarding risk assessments across 16 shelters which revealed increasing risks of SHEA, human trafficking, and GBV. In this environment of rising anxiety and uncertainty, it became vital to develop and implement a context-sensitive comprehensive package of services that would address multiple needs. Hence, we tailored support to offer psychosocial support through partnerships with a local university, and unconditional cash transfers to enhance the economic resilience of shelter residents and ensure their dignity and autonomy, while building safeguarding mechanisms to mitigate and prevent exploitation and abuse due to them receiving the cash transfers. This experience reminded once again that safeguarding is a collective moral responsibility, requiring us to truly hear and see what people need and want, then raise awareness, advocate, build relevant community-based partnership and act to keep individuals safe.

Overall, the most effective strategy for combating GBV is rooted in prevention, which translates into empowering all stakeholders, staff, program participants, partners, and communities, to recognize the challenges posed by GBV and to take informed, proactive measures to address them.

Why are campaigns like the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV important from a safeguarding perspective?

For me, the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) has always represented both a critical reminder of the ongoing global human rights challenges and an opportunity to unite to break the cycle of systemic discrimination and inequality that perpetuate GBV across generations. This campaign provides a platform to amplify the voices of women and girls in the global call for collective action to all stakeholders, policymakers, community leaders, NGOs, government agencies, men, boys, and women and girls themselves, to unite in sustained action against GBV in their community. It also highlights the essential role safeguarding must continue to play in empowering all individuals, but particularly women and girls, to advocate for themselves in sustained efforts to tackle GBV within their communities.

In my work, I have seen that many girls remained silent about GBV due to the fear of retribution or stigma, leading to living the nightmare that is GBV into their adulthood. However, I have also witnessed the transformative power of youth peer-led actions. When girls see their peers act against violence, it not only inspires confidence, but also fosters a culture of resilience.

And, so for me, the campaign offers a critical opportunity to advocate for more educational programs that create safe spaces for girls to share their experiences, learn about their rights, and access confidential, dignified reporting mechanisms. The 16 Days of Activism Against GBV also provides the best platform to recognize girls as experts in their own experiences, whose insights are crucial to creating effective interventions and meaningful change.

I firmly believe that in this long fight for basic human rights – because GBV is about violating inherent human rights – we must put more focus on empowering the next generation of advocates by giving girls a seat at the table. In my view, by including their voices in efforts to prevent cross-generational GBV, we can be sure to build a future free from violence, particularly against women. In this sector, we must focus both on today and tomorrow!