CO-Rapid Assessment CFM Oxfam’s commitment is to actively centre the voice and experience of people and community in all our work and consider power, privilege and equity in the design of community-based feedback and complaints mechanisms CBFCMS, and to respect the knowledge, wisdom andperspective of others, as there is always scope for Oxfam to grow and learn as an organisation working with communities.
Functionalfeedback and complaints mechanisms that are accessible and safe to use are a demonstration of our organization-wide accountability commitment, to be truly accountable to the people and communities we work with and those affected by our programmes, by ensuring that they understand what is appropriate and inappropriate conduct of our staff and partners, getting their feedback about our programmes and/or complaints about conduct of our staff, agents or partners  and taking appropriate action to address these concerns. Accountability is “the process of using power responsibly, taking account of, and being held accountable by different stakeholders, and primarily those who are affected by the exercise of such power” . It is the right to be heard, and the duty to respond.

However, anecdotal information indicates that where CBFCMs initiatives and experiences exist in Oxfam, many are still disjointed, some are uncoordinated, and largely undocumented. In many places, they are non-existent, or if they are, not all of them are fully functional. The design of Oxfam’s CBFCMs by Affiliates, Country Offices and in part Partners has not always ensured community involvement, in most cases resulting in not fit for purpose mechanisms. Also different affiliates still approach the issue of CBFCMs differently with different emphasis, approaches, tools and resources, therefore lacking a standardised coordinated approach.

Although Oxfam prides itself for encouraging communities we work with to speak out and report PSEA and child protection concerns and incidents concerning them,recent reports in some countries like DRC, Ethiopia, and Uganda not only attests to the limited awareness at community level on SEAand child protection risks and reporting mechanisms, but has also led to an increase in attention to ensure that SEA and child abuse and exploitation by humanitarian and development organisations like Oxfam are addressed through investment in preventive approaches but also responding to reports of abuse and exploitation when these incidents are reported.
Oxfam has two responsibilities for accountability in the programmes it manages, holding a responsibility for mutual accountability with its partners (as do the partners) and also holding a shared or joint accountability (with its partners) to the communities affected by its programmes. There is lack of knowledge how the
In addition to some of the above challenges, COVID-19 has added additional challenges to how effective current CBFCMs are, placing additional barriers to reporting that are currently not fully understood or risks mitigated.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT:
1. Map out existing CBCM’s initiatives in select field/project locations, and document best practices and lessons learnt in implementing CBFCMs across the Oxfam confederation
2. Undertake a rapid assessment of the existing CBFCMs in Oxfam terms of effectiveness, experiences and lessons plus existing gaps.