MSF-USA Reporting Hotline

The MSF-USA Reporting Hotline is a practical mechanism put in place by MSF-USA to identify, track, and pursue staff reports of MSF policy violations (for details, see below section: “When would I use the hotline?”). The hotline platform is run by Convercent, an external service provider based in Colorado. Reports can be filed online, by telephone (domestically and internationally), and text (text service is currently available only in the US). Convercent service providers are available 24/7, 365 days a year. Reporting is confidential, and information is stored on Convercent’s systems. Convercent is fully compliant with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the US Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

The hotline can be used by all MSF-USA office volunteers and staff—including current and former staff, all field staff managed by the Field Human Resources Department in New York, all staff employed at the MSF New York office, and all positions hosted by MSF-USA (for example, Epicentre and Access Campaign staff)—and members of the MSF-USA Association.

The MSF-USA hotline is designed to facilitate reporting of violations of MSF policies, both domestic and international. These include but are not limited to violations of the MSF Behavioral Commitments and the MSF Charter. Examples of violations include discrimination, harassment, financial misconduct, theft or misappropriation of resources, abuse of power, and assault. Hotline reporting can be used for yourself or as a proxy, to report something you have witnessed or to submit a report on behalf of another person. Inappropriate behavior needs to be addressed to be changed, and that means we (MSF staff) are all responsible for reporting. 

We still encourage you to address issues directly with a manager, the Human Resources department, Country Coordination, or via the Operational Center (OC) reporting lines.  However, the MSF Reporting Hotline is available in case you may want to report outside of regular line management or traditional OC channels. In some instances, you may want to use both the hotline and regular management channels to submit a report. It is important that reports of violations are submitted so that allegations may be thoroughly investigated by the relevant MSF entity. 

The MSF-USA Reporting Hotline is an independent service that can be used instead of or in addition to OC reporting lines or reporting directly to HR in New York. The hotline platform allows for reports to be made outside of regular MSF channels. Reports to the hotline can be made anonymously, and communication can continue with anonymity on the hotline platform. The hotline platform will aggregate, process, and track reports, however it is a reporting mechanism and not an investigative mechanism.

Reports filed with the MSF-USA hotline about incidents in the field will be routed to the relevant OCs for investigation. Reports concerning incidents at OC headquarters, partner sections outside the US, official meetings, conferences, etc. will likewise be routed to the appropriate MSF entity for investigation. Reports for incidents in the US will be referred to the Domestic HR department for investigation. Reports made to the MSF-USA hotline are tracked by unique case file numbers. Users submitting reports will be informed of case status and outcomes. 

You can access the hotline 24/7 at:
DOCTORSWITHOUTBORDERS.ORG/REPORT-ABUSE
Phone: 1.800.461.9330

If you are dialing internationally, see list of phone numbers here.

If the country you are calling from is not listed, use the main number above for a collect call/reverse charge call. Operator assistance may be required and local charges may apply. 

While MSF cannot provide a 100-percent guarantee of anonymity and confidentiality, the hotline reporting system is designed with the aim of protecting both. MSF will make every effort to ensure confidentiality while responding to reports. However, in some instances, it may not be possible to take full action on a report without the reporting party identifying themselves. Reporting parties should understand that details in their report may result in the unintended (deductive) disclosure of their identities. 

Once a report is filed, a unique report number is issued. Using the report number, it’s possible to check the status of the report anytime via the hotline platform or telephone. 

As each case has a unique report number, MSF can contact anonymous reporters using the case number and request additional information via the hotline platform. 

Users may also provide additional information and documentation to an existing report via the hotline platform. 

Yes, MSF-USA follows whistle-blower protection laws. In short, no one will be penalized or sanctioned for filing a report in good faith. Full details are available in the MSF-USA employee handbooks.

The team at MSF-USA decided that an independent, third-party platform provided the best technical solution to process sensitive information from across a large international organization (with more than 45,000 people across the movement). We want to ensure that staff have a safe and secure platform when they need to report violations of our policies. MSF staff, the Association, Board of Directors, and MSF-USA’s Management Team requested that an independent hotline be made available to facilitate reporting. 

Only the Director of Domestic HR and the Director of Field HR have access to reports made via the hotline. They do not have any access to the identities of the reporting party if the user has chosen anonymity. The Director of Domestic HR receives reports pertaining to domestic US staff; the Director of Field HR receives reports pertaining to field staff and forwards them to the relevant OC’s reporting mechanism, according to the circumstances of each case.

The hotline reporting platform is only available in English at this time.