Introduction

Protection is a core component of humanitarian action. In crisis settings, affected populations are often exposed to violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect. Humanitarian actors must prioritize the protection of vulnerable groups, ensuring that assistance is delivered in a way that respects human rights and dignity. This 5-day course is designed to provide humanitarian professionals with a thorough understanding of protection issues and how to incorporate protection measures into every stage of humanitarian response. Participants will learn about protection mechanisms, international humanitarian law, and practical tools to mitigate risks and enhance safety in humanitarian settings.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will:

1. Understand Protection in Humanitarian Action: Gain a comprehensive understanding of what protection means in the context of humanitarian emergencies.
2. Learn Protection Standards and Legal Frameworks: Become familiar with international legal frameworks, including international humanitarian law (IHL), human rights law, and refugee law.
3. Identify Protection Risks and Vulnerabilities: Learn how to identify different forms of protection risks (e.g., sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), child protection, exploitation, and abuse).
4. Design and Implement Protection Programs: Gain practical skills to design and implement effective protection programs that mitigate risks and support vulnerable groups.
5. Work with Protection Coordination Mechanisms: Understand the importance of protection coordination, including working with protection clusters, civil society organizations, and government entities.
6. Integrate Protection into Other Humanitarian Sectors: Learn how to integrate protection principles into food security, shelter, health, and WASH programs.
7. Monitor and Evaluate Protection Programs: Develop skills for monitoring, evaluating, and adapting protection interventions to ensure their effectiveness.
8. Promote Accountability and Community Engagement: Learn how to ensure that humanitarian responses are accountable to affected populations, particularly in the areas of participation, complaint mechanisms, and community-based protection.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for:

• Humanitarian Aid Workers working in protection, child protection, gender, or other related fields.
• Field Managers and Program Coordinators responsible for implementing protection programs in emergency contexts.
• Protection Officers and Human Rights Advocates working in humanitarian crises.
• NGO and INGO Staff involved in the design and implementation of protection interventions.
• Government Representatives working on policy and legislative frameworks related to protection in emergencies.
• Security and Safety Advisors involved in ensuring the protection of humanitarian staff and affected populations.
• Donors and funding agencies supporting protection programming in humanitarian contexts.
• Community Engagement Officers and advocacy professionals.

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction to Protection in Humanitarian Action

• Morning Session: Understanding Protection in Humanitarian Contexts
  • Definition of protection and its role in humanitarian action.
  • Overview of protection issues: Protection from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.
  • International frameworks: International Humanitarian Law (IHL), International Human Rights Law, and Refugee Law.
  • Understanding the relationship between protection and human rights.
  • The principle of Do No Harm: Ensuring that interventions do not exacerbate protection risks.
• Afternoon Session: Protection Risks and Vulnerabilities in Emergencies
  • Identifying and understanding the diverse vulnerabilities of crisis-affected populations.
  • Protection risks in different emergencies: conflict, displacement, natural disasters, and pandemics.
  • Key vulnerable groups: Children, women, LGBTIQ+ persons, persons with disabilities, and elderly.
  • Case study: Protection issues in Syria and the Yemen conflict.

Day 2: Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Protection

• Morning Session: International Protection Frameworks
  • International Humanitarian Law (IHL): The Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocols, and their role in protecting civilians in conflict zones.
  • Human Rights Law: Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and key human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
  • Refugee Law: The 1951 Refugee Convention and the role of the UNHCR in refugee protection.
  • Understanding the role of UN Security Council Resolutions, including UNSCR 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
• Afternoon Session: Protection Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement
  • The role of protection clusters and inter-agency coordination in humanitarian responses.
  • The role of protection actors: UN agencies, NGOs, civil society organizations, and local governments.
  • Coordination with other sectors: Integrating protection into food security, health, WASH, and shelter programs.
  • Case study: Protection coordination in the Rohingya crisis.

Day 3: Protection Program Design and Implementation

• Morning Session: Designing Protection Programs
  • The key components of protection programming: Assessment, analysis, intervention, monitoring, and evaluation.
  • Developing a protection response plan: Needs assessment, priorities, and objectives.
  • Addressing specific protection concerns: SGBV (Sexual and Gender-Based Violence), child protection, and trauma-informed care.
  • Protecting humanitarian workers: Security and safety risks in protection programming.
• Afternoon Session: Implementing Protection Interventions
  • Tools and techniques for protection programming: Safe spaces, complaint mechanisms, and community-based protection.
  • Responding to SGBV: Establishing safe houses, providing psychosocial support, and legal assistance.
  • Child Protection: Preventing and responding to child labor, child recruitment, and trafficking.
  • Case study: SGBV response in South Sudan.

Day 4: Monitoring, Evaluation, and Accountability in Protection Programs

• Morning Session: Monitoring Protection Programs
  • Techniques for monitoring protection risks and assessing the effectiveness of interventions.
  • Collecting protection data ethically and safely: Challenges and best practices.
  • Understanding protection indicators and using data for decision-making.
  • Case study: Protection monitoring in IDP camps.
• Afternoon Session: Evaluating Protection Programs
  • Key components of evaluation: Impact, effectiveness, and sustainability.
  • Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PME) in protection programs.
  • The importance of community feedback mechanisms and accountability to affected populations.
  • Designing post-program evaluations: Learning lessons for future interventions.

Day 5: Protection in the Transition from Emergency to Recovery

• Morning Session: Protection during Recovery and Rehabilitation
  • The transition from emergency protection responses to long-term recovery.
  • Ensuring protection in post-crisis reconstruction: Access to justice, legal aid, and reintegration programs.
  • Promoting social cohesion and resilience in the post-crisis phase.
  • Case study: Bosnia-Herzegovina post-conflict and transitional justice.
• Afternoon Session: Building Resilience and Sustainability in Protection Programs
  • Building local capacity for protection: Training, empowering communities, and strengthening local actors.
  • Advocacy for durable solutions: Ensuring safe return, local integration, and resettlement for refugees and IDPs.
  • Building a protection-sensitive humanitarian response: Sustainability and preparedness for future crises.