Paper details
| Paper authors | Felicity Gray, Hannah Jordan, Megan Corrado |
| In panel on | Protecting civilians in a changing world order |
| Paper presenter(s) will be presenting | In-Person & Online |
Abstract
In the field of humanitarian protection, protection programmes are conventionally associated with responding to violence after harm has already occurred through the provision of protection service delivery – the management and referral of cases, the reunification of families, the provision of cash to displaced populations. Though these efforts are critical and often lifesaving, humanitarian actors and their donors are not doing enough to ensure their efforts directly prevent, deescalate and mitigate violence. Gaps in practice, policy, and knowledge remain, and donor investment in protection is dominated by funding to remedial actions, rather than prevention, reduction of violence, and capacity strengthening efforts.
What would it look like to re-vision civilian protection to prioritise the safety and security of affected populations through reducing risks, interrupting violence, and supporting sustainable and locally driven short and long-term violence reduction and response?
This paper explores this question, exploring how civilian protection practices can and should be re-oriented toward in ways that better meet the needs of civilians facing violence. We set out an analytical framework that outlines key characteristics of effective civilian protection actions – the goal being that these can be used and adapted by protection actors and donors to strengthen and examine programmes and actions.
