Safeguarding

Centering the Safety and Meaningful Participation of Adolescents and Youth at WD2026

Women Deliver commits to creating a safe, inclusive space at WD2026 — especially for adolescents and young people, including persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ youth, and others.

Use this page as your go-to resource for all things related to child and youth safeguarding. Whether you’re designing an event or attending the Conference, we want to help you:

• Understand the safety and wellness measures available
• Plan your WD2026 activities with participant safety in mind
• Protect your own safety and well-being during the Conference

Safeguarding at WD2026

Women Deliver enforces a zero-tolerance policy for all forms of abuse — physical, emotional, sexual, and online. You can find more details in our Child and Young Person Safeguarding Policy.

What Counts as Abuse, Exploitation, Harm, or Neglect?

• Abuse includes any behavior that causes actual or potential harm to a child or young person’s health, wellbeing, survival, development, or dignity. This abuse can be emotional, physical, sexual, economic, or online.
• Exploitation occurs when someone uses their power or status to take advantage of another person for personal or financial gain.
• Harm results from any negative effect on someone’s physical, psychological, or emotional wellbeing.
• Neglect happens when someone consistently fails to meet a person’s basic physical or psychological needs, leading to actual or potential harm to their health, wellbeing, survival, development, or dignity.

If you witness or experience any form of harm, abuse, or neglect during the Conference, please prioritize your immediate safety. Once you are safe, and if you feel comfortable, report the incident right away. 

You can report:

• Online by emailing safeguarding@womendeliver.org. Women Deliver staff monitor this inbox regularly.
• In-person by visiting the Safety and Mental Health Space at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (Level 2, Room 214).

Wellness Resources at WD2026:

Safety and Mental Health Space

A dedicated Safeguarding Support Space is available for youth delegates who would like to: 

• Speak privately with safeguarding team member 

• Access mental health or emotional support  

• Take a quiet break from conference activities  

• Report a Safeguarding Concern 

Hours of Operation: 

• April 26: 13:00–17:00  

• April 27: 09:00–17:00  

• April 28: 09:00–17:00  

• April 29: 09:00–17:00  

• April 30: 09:00–15:00  

Location: Level 2, Room 214 

On-Site Clinical Support

For crisis or immediate counseling support, participants can book a 15–30-minute session with a clinician. Safeguarding Professionals are licensed mental health practitioners who can offer support if you’re feeling overwhelmed or if you’d like trauma-informed care related to a safeguarding concern. 

You can learn more about the clinicians below and book an appointment if you’d like to speak with someone. 

Learn more about the clinicians: 

• Pola Practice (Tigist Kebede)
• TransSpace- Lee Taube

Walk-ins are also welcome. 

Key Resources

Women Deliver and our partners have created resources to prioritize safety and well-being — especially for adolescents and young people — at WD2026:

• WD2026 Code of Conduct
• Child and Young Person Safeguarding Policy  
• Safeguarding Guide for Youth 
• Safeguarding Informational Flyer
• Safeguarding Support for Session Organizers Form

Local Services

Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Center: + 61 3 9235 8000 

Emergencies: 000 

Victoria Police (non-emergency): 131 444 

Medical/ General health incidents at MCEC: Notify a security guard. 

If 13 YARN is a 24/7 national crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Call: 13 92 76 

Beyond Blue provides a free online and telephone helpline for people with depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. Call: 1300 224 636 

1800 Respect is the national domestic, family and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. Call: 1800 737 732 

QLife offers phone and online anonymous LGBTI support and referral. 3pm – midnight local time every day. Call: 1800 184 527 

Kids Helpline is a free, private, and confidential 24/7 phone and online counseling service for young people aged 5 to 25 in Melbourne and across Australia. Call 1800 55 1800 (24/7).

Duty of Care

Women Deliver puts systems in place to make sure you feel safe, supported, and respected during WD2026. You can find all safety-related information on this page.

As we uphold our duty of care, we also invite every participant to share in the responsibility for collective safety. Protect yourself, look out for others, and use the dedicated reporting channels if you witness or experience any harm.

Together, we can create a Conference that is safe, inclusive, and transformative for everyone.