Charities and terrorism
Recent counter-terrorism legislation may make it more difficult for charities to do their work, especially those with international links.
Charities are affected not only by UK legislation but also that of the EU, the United Nations and other countries such as the United States.
Bond convened a group of members concerned about the impact of these measures on their work. We responded to several consultations on the strategy.
Bond is concerned that the risks to charities have been exaggerated.
Extra regulations could be too onerous, especially for small NGOs, and may result in charities being prevented from carrying out their work, for example by alienating overseas partners.
Charity Commission strategy
The Charity Commission published its Counter-Terrorism Strategy in July 2008 in response to a Government review of the risks of abuse of charities' funds by terrorists.
The strategy is particularly relevant to international development NGOs because of their work overseas, which may bring them into contact with designated terrorist groups or individuals. It includes the toolkit Protecting charities from harm, which aims to give trustees the knowledge and tools they need to manage risks and protect their charity from harm and abuse.
Please check the Charity Commission website for further information on their counter-terrorism work.
Read more...
- NCVO's report, 'Security and Civil Society: the impact of counter-terrorism measures on civil society organisations'
- Networker article 'Collateral Damage' (February 2008)
- Bond submission to Review of Safeguards to Protect the Charitable Sector from Terrorist Abuse (August 2007)
