Knowing safeguarding: The geopolitics of knowledge production in the humanitarian and development sector

Abstract

‘Safeguarding’ – a set of policies and practices meant to protect against abuse and exploitation – has become a ‘buzzword’ in the international aid sector. While some recent critiques point to gaps in safeguarding discussions and an established body of literature critically examines the geopolitics of knowledge production, the specific dynamics of safeguarding knowledge production have yet to be addressed. Here, we critically examine the geopolitics of safeguarding knowledge production by UK-based organisations specifically. We argue for widening the epistemological foundations of safeguarding in its conceptual, practical, and geographic dimensions, grounded in the knowledges of survivors, victims, and communities targeted by intervention. This can challenge geographic and racialised relations of power within the aid sector, and inform more effective safeguarding concepts, policies, and practices.