[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 154 (Friday, August 13, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44684-44685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-17340]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 154 / Friday, August 13, 2021 / 
Notices  

[[Page 44684]]



AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT


Information Collection; Safeguarding Against Exploitation, Sexual 
Abuse, Child Abuse, and Neglect

AGENCY: U.S. Agency for International Development.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), as part of 
its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, 
invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this 
opportunity to comment on the following information collection, as 
required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are requested 
concerning whether the proposed collection of information is necessary 
for sustaining USAID-funded programming; the accuracy of USAID's 
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; ways 
to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents. This notice provides 60 days for public 
comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: Comments must be received no later than October 12, 2021.

ADDRESSES: USAID invites interested persons to submit comments on this 
collection through the following methods:
    1. Web: Through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. This website provides instructions and includes 
the ability to type short comments directly into the comment field or 
attach a file for lengthier comments.
    2. Email: For comments sent via email, please address them to 
[email protected] and cite OMB Control Number XXXX-XXXX Safeguarding 
Against Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, and Neglect in the 
subject line of the email. Email submissions must be received before 
the close of the comment period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keetah Salazar-Thompson via email to 
[email protected].
    Instructions: Comments received generally will be posted without 
change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal and/or 
business confidential information provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Need and Uses

    The purpose of this collection is to enable the U.S. Agency for 
International Development to respond to allegations of exploitation, 
sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect and institute appropriate 
standards of behavior. Submissions will be required from Recipients to 
comply with pending award requirements to safeguard against 
exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect in USAID-funded 
programming. Information submitted by Recipients as part of this 
collection will be presumed to be confidential. USAID takes the 
protection of personally identifiable information (PII) seriously and 
takes precautions to ensure the confidentiality and security of PII, 
consistent with USAID's Automated Directives System (ADS) Chapter 508.
    Notification. A pending standard provision for assistance awards 
will require Recipients to immediately notify, in writing, the 
Agreement Officer and the USAID Office of the Inspector General of--
    (1) Any credible information it receives from any source (including 
host country law enforcement) that alleges the Recipient or 
subrecipient, or personnel, invitee, or agent of the Recipient or a 
subrecipient has engaged in or tolerated exploitation, sexual abuse, 
child abuse, or neglect.
    (2) Any actions planned or taken against a subrecipient, personnel, 
invitee, or agent of the Recipient or a subrecipient pursuant to this 
provision.
    (3) Any actions planned or taken by the Recipient or subrecipient 
to assess, address, or mitigate factors that contributed to the 
incident occurring.
    Compliance Plan. If the estimated value of services required to be 
performed under the award outside the United States exceeds $500,000, 
the Recipients will maintain a ``Safeguarding Against Exploitation, 
Sexual Abuse, Child Abuse, and Neglect Compliance Plan,'' either in 
conjunction with or separate from the Trafficking in Persons Compliance 
Plan, that details risk analysis and mitigation measures that will be 
implemented during the course of the award to prevent and address 
exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect, consistent with 
the minimum set of policies and internal controls necessary to prevent, 
detect, address, and respond to allegations of exploitation, sexual 
abuse, child abuse, and neglect, and take appropriate action against, 
personnel, invitees, subrecipients, and agents that commit 
exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, or neglect or those who fail 
to take reasonable steps to prevent it. The Recipient's compliance plan 
must be appropriate to the size and complexity of the award and to the 
nature and scope of the activities, including the particular risks 
presented by the operating context and the assistance, services or 
supplies provided. Recipients will be required to provide the 
compliance plan to the Agreement Officer upon request. The plan must 
include, at a minimum, the following:
    (a) An awareness program to inform its personnel, invitees, or 
agents about USAID's zero tolerance policy for inaction regarding 
exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect and the minimum 
set of policies and internal controls necessary to prevent, detect, 
address, and resolve allegations of exploitation, sexual abuse, child 
abuse, and neglect, and take appropriate action against subrecipients, 
personnel, invitees, and agents that commit exploitation, sexual abuse, 
child abuse, or neglect or those who fail to take reasonable steps to 
prevent it, including the activities prohibited and the action that 
will be taken in response to violations;
    (b) A description of how project beneficiaries are made aware that 
engaging in or tolerating exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, and 
neglect is prohibited, the Recipient's survivor-centered approach for 
response, and how beneficiaries can report allegations of exploitation, 
sexual abuse, child abuse, and neglect;
    (c) Accessible reporting processes for anyone to report, without 
fear of retaliation, exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, and 
neglect; and

[[Page 44685]]

    (d) Procedures for the Recipient to prevent any of its personnel, 
invitees, or agents or subrecipient at any tier and at any dollar value 
from engaging in or tolerating exploitation, sexual abuse, child abuse, 
and neglect. The Recipient must also have procedures to monitor, 
detect, and terminate, or take any other actions as may be appropriate, 
for any of its personnel, invitees, or agents, subrecipients or 
subrecipient personnel that have engaged in such activities.

B. Annual Burden

    There will be a small, but measurable reporting burden for the 
notification of any credible information of exploitation, sexual abuse, 
child abuse, or neglect and any actions taken in response by any 
Recipient. Information in the notifications should include: The award 
title and number, the location of the program, name of the 
organization, a point of contact, the type of allegation, and the 
position(s) of those involved, and if beneficiaries or minors were 
involved. The notification may also identify any actions taken to 
investigate or respond to the allegation, including referral to local 
authorities. If known or available, next steps to address the 
perpetrator and/or the survivor's and whistleblower's safety, resources 
and information available to the survivor, and any established 
organizational procedures or framework to respond may also be provided. 
The notifications should include: Any interim or final measures taken 
or planned to ensure accountability of the alleged perpetrator, as well 
as protective measures or reforms, such as changes to applicable 
policies and procedures, in order to assess, address, or mitigate 
factors that contributed to the incident. USAID expects reporting to 
increase as awareness for this requirement increases in the short-term. 
Therefore, the annual reporting burden for notification to USAID is 
estimated as follows:
    Respondents: 253.
    Responses per respondent: 2.
    Preparation hours per response: 4 hours.
    Total response burden hours: 2,024.
    Public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 24 hours to prepare a compliance 
plan, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing 
data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing 
and reviewing the collection of information. The number below includes 
all grants and estimated subawards over $500,000 required to be 
performed outside the United States.
    The annual recordkeeping burden for the compliance plan is 
estimated as follows:
    Recordkeepers: 2,365.
    Records per recordkeeper: 1.
    Preparation hours per response: 24.
    Total recordkeeping burden hours: 56,760.
    For Recipients that meet the $500,000 threshold to maintain a 
compliance plan, there will be a small but measurable reporting burden 
for submission of that compliance plan, but only when it is requested 
by the Agreement Officer. We anticipate that requests to submit the 
compliance plan will only occur in circumstances where the Agreement 
Officer has reason to believe that there may be exploitation, sexual 
abuse, child abuse, or neglect in USAID funded programming. Therefore, 
the annual reporting burden for submission of the compliance plan to 
USAID is estimated as follows:
    Respondents: 200.
    Responses per respondent: 1.
    Preparation hours per response: 1.
    Total response burden hours: 200.

Keetah Salazar-Thompson,
Coordinator, Action Alliance for Preventing Sexual Misconduct, U.S. 
Agency for International Development.
[FR Doc. 2021-17340 Filed 8-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6116-02-P