Independent Special Commission

The International Senate of SOS Children’s Villages – the federation’s highest supervisory body – decided to establish a global Independent Special Commission in May 2021. The Independent Special Commission was mandated to examine cases of failings, including child abuse, corruption, and breaches of regulations. The commission was one of eight prioritized actions in the SOS Children’s Villages Safeguarding Action Plan.

The Independent Special Commission, which was appointed on 1 October 2021, was originally comprised of four independent experts: Justice Willy Mutunga (chair), Justice Gita Mittal, Mr. Andras Vamos-Goldman (who served until 31 March 2022) and Ms. Mona Ali Khalil (who served until 30 September 2022).

Terms of Reference

The mandate of the Independent Special Commission ended in June 2023 when it submitted its final report.

Mandate

The ISC was mandated by the International Senate of SOS Children’s Villages to:

Assess, map and prioritize allegations and concerns raised, and initiate further investigations as deemed necessary;
Based on the findings of the investigations, confirm whether or not misconduct has occurred, or whether or not the concerns are justified;
Assess in a broader sense the allegations and concerns regarding the areas of child safeguarding, safeguarding in general, usage of funds, compliance, management and governance and other areas it deems important, and recommend the appropriate measures to the International Senate.

Objective

The ISC worked independently and with all efficiency to fulfil its mandate as articulated by the International Senate in order to: establish facts; consider the degree to which any abuses, failures and other wrongdoing have been redressed; identify where and what further remedial measures are required, including the possibility of recommending referral of certain allegations to the appropriate national law enforcement authorities and to report and make recommendations within the scope of the ISC’s mandate and objective in a timeframe as responsive as possible to the needs of those affected by the alleged abuses, failures and other wrongdoing.

Guiding principles

The ISC stated that it used the following principles to guide its work:

The ISC was guided by the principles of “Do No Harm” and the “Best Interest of the Child” in all aspects of its mandate.
The ISC investigated alleged abuses, failures and other wrongdoing independently and impartially, with the utmost adherence to the integrity and fundamental fairness of the process; the dignity and safety of survivors, institutional and other whistleblowers, and other persons; the due process rights of all involved, and the interests of justice.
In carrying out its activities, the ISC was guided by the Statutes of SOS Children’s Villages, applicable national, regional and international laws including the criminal laws of the relevant jurisdictions as well as international standards and best practices.
The ISC ensured gender and other intersecting inequalities and marginalizations were mainstreamed throughout its activities, responsive to local cultural contexts.

Information about the ISC’s work can be found in its Final Report.

Members

By the end of the Mandate the following individuals were part of the ISC:

Justice Willy Mutunga, Kenya (Chair)

Willy M. Mutunga is a former Chief Justice of the Republic of Kenya . He is a globally respected scholar, lawyer and reform activist; credited with key reforms including those leading to the new Kenya Constitution 2010. He taught Law at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and was Regional Director for the Ford Foundation in East Africa. Earlier he acted as a Civil Society Activist calling for political and social reforms in Kenya. Furthermore, he served on many Commissions in and out of Kenya and continues to do so, especially in the areas of elections and human rights.

For his outstanding contribution to the development of law, human rights, good governance and social justice, Dr. Mutunga has received several national and international honours and awards.

Justice Gita Mittal, India

Gita Mittal is a former Justice who has practiced law in all courts and other judicial forums in India since 1981. She served as a judge on the Delhi High Court starting in 2004, and became the Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court from 2017 to 2018. After that role, Justice Mittal was sworn in as the first woman Chief Justice for the State of Jammu and Kashmir. She retired from that position at the end of 2020.

Over her career, Justice Mittal has conducted programmes on several topics of social relevance including legal aid, gender and disability sensitization, the environment, disaster management and the constitutional rights of the marginalized.

Support Team and Investigators

The Commissioners were supported by the ISC Support Team comprising of Mr Thomas Foley, Coordinator to the Commission, Ms Million Berhe, Secretary to the Commission, Ms Arbenita Rrmoku, Legal and General Consultant, Ms Louisa Songwe Chief of Investigations, and the Team of Investigators, comprised of Mr Timothy Bacwa, Financial Investigator, Ms Ingrid Fontenla, Financial Investigator, Mr Jason Howard, Child Abuse, SGBV and SEA Investigator, Mr Irina Urumova, Safeguarding Compliance Investigator.

Back to Safeguarding Info Hub

NEWS & STORIES

PUBLICATIONS

SUPPORT

PARTNERSHIPS

CONTACT US