Consent, safety, respect

You ask first. You touch after. A “no” is respected the first time, with no explanation and no second question.

We do not approach anyone with open arms before asking. The question is asked clearly, from a distance, in a normal voice: “Would you like a hug?” That's all. No insisting, no “come on, it's free”, no touching “just so you see what it's like”.

• ASK — you ask beforehand. Always. Even if the person is smiling, even if they came last year, even if they are your friend.
• RESPECT — every answer is a good answer. A refusal is not commented on, not turned into a joke and not passed on. Whoever says “no” gets a smile, and that is all.
• CONNECT — the hug lasts as long as the other person wants. Whoever wants to let go, lets go first. No squeezing hard, nobody gets lifted off the ground, nobody gets rocked.

• We do not touch children unless a parent is present and agrees.
• We do not approach anyone who is asleep, drunk, appears frightened, or cannot clearly say “yes”.
• We do not kiss, we do not stroke, we touch nothing beyond shoulders and back.
• We do not block anyone's path and we do not follow anyone.
• We do not photograph anyone who has said they do not want to be photographed.

Photos are taken at the events, in public spaces. If you do not want to appear, tell a volunteer — we keep you out of the frame. If you already appear in a published photo and want it gone, we take it down.

The photo removal form is open to anyone, requires no account, and does not ask why.

Whoever joins the team goes through a short training before their first event. It is not a formality: that is where you learn how the question is asked, how to read a “no” said with a shrug, and what to do when someone starts crying in your arms — it happens more often than you would think.

A volunteer who breaks the rules above does not come to the next event. It is not negotiable and it does not depend on how well-meaning they were.

How to become a volunteer

If someone from our team made you feel bad, we want to know. Write to contact@imbratisari.ro or call 0792 80 10 50. You need no proof and you do not have to explain why it bothered you. We look into every report and we answer every one.