Reporting Concerns

SIL International believes that each person matters. SIL personnel are committed to maintaining biblical standards of integrity and accountability, treating others with dignity and respect.

Whether you are a member of the public, or SIL, we invite you to report any concerns you may have about the behavior of SIL personnel around the world.

Safeguarding concerns (including historic child abuse)

SIL is committed to the safety, security and dignity of all children and adults. Any allegation or concern regarding the abuse of a child or an adult must be treated seriously and reported as quickly as possible.

A concern can arise when you observe or suspect abusive behavior, when an allegation is made or disclosed, or when there are indicators (signs and symptoms) of suspected abuse of a child or an adult.

There are two ways for you to report a concern:

  • Directly to the child safety team at child-safety_intl@sil.org.
  • Or through our independent reporting service by contacting Lighthouse Services:
    • Website: lighthouse-services.com/sil
    • Email: (include our name ‘SIL’ in the report)
    • Telephone: A list of free phone numbers globally is available here.

All concerns raised will be investigated thoroughly and action taken in line with SIL’s safeguarding policies and procedures.

Your confidentiality will be maintained to the fullest practical extent. The main exceptions are when the law requires disclosure, or when someone is at risk.

Whistleblowing concerns

If you have evidence or information which you believe shows serious malpractice, illegal actions, wrongdoing or unacceptable behaviors or practices by SIL personnel, employees or volunteers, we ask you to report it.

Legislation protects those who raise legitimate concerns. No one who makes a report in good faith will be victimized for doing so.

Your concern may be about one of the following, and could be about things that are happening now, have happened in the past, or are likely to happen in the future:

● A criminal offence
● The breach of a legal obligation
● A miscarriage of justice
● A danger to the health and safety of any individual
● Damage to the environment
● Deliberate concealment of information related to any of the above

It could also be about something not included in the list above.

The SIL Anonymous Reporting Hotline is available on all days at all times. A report may be made in one of the following ways:

  • Website: www.lighthouse-services.com/sil; this is the preferred method of reporting.  This provides easy access to complete templates and makes it simple for the Reporter to follow up and ask for the status of the investigation, via use of the system.
  • E-mail: (include our name "SIL" in the report).  
  • Fax alternative for written documents:   (215) 689-3885 (include our name "SIL" in the report).  This is the least recommended means of reporting.

Your concerns should be reported as quickly as possible, so they can be investigated and any appropriate action taken.

Your confidentiality will be maintained to the fullest practical extent. The main exceptions are when the law requires disclosure, or when someone is at risk.

Other Concerns

If you have  other concerns or questions about the work of SIL not covered by the safeguarding or whistleblowing sections above, please let us know by emailing , or through the form on our contact page.

We appreciate your help in bringing matters to our attention.

Thank you.