DEATH

COMMON MISUNDERSTANDINGS
ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION IN
EMERGENCIES
FEEDBACK THROUGH KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS AND THE RESEARCH SURVEY
REVEAL A SERIES OF PREVALENT MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CHILD PROTECTION IN
EMERGENCIES IN THE HUMANITARIAN COMMUNITY.
“Child protection is just about child friendly spaces”
Child friendly spaces are frequently seen as the only child protection activity. The reality is that child protection in emergencies involves
diverse activities. Other less visible, and potentially more life-saving activities – such as case management, awareness-raising for the
prevention of violence, and advocacy for the release and reintegration of children formerly associated with armed forces and groups – are
less visible.
“Other humanitarian actors protect children
– so this is the shared responsibility of the wider
humanitarian community”
Although recent initiatives such as the Inter-Agency Standing Committee’s statement on the centrality of protection have emphasized the
shared responsibility for protection across the humanitarian community, many humanitarians still fail to support protection either in their
programming responses or in their contributions to decision-making. This leads to a confusing and contradictory set of views, where on
the one hand “someone else” is wholly or partly responsible for the prevention of violence, the identification and response to children
injured by unexploded ordnance, caring for child survivors of sexual violence and addressing the needs of children with physical injuries;
and on the other these activities are seen as subordinate to “child survival” responses.
“Child protection is cross-cutting and doesn’t
require stand-alone activities”
It is believed that protection overall is cross-cutting and therefore stand-alone funding for child protection is deemed unnecessary.
While mainstreaming protection is valuable, the reality is that children have specific protection needs which are not provided by other
sectors. These require a tailored response.
52 A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH: CHILD PROTECTION IN EMERGENCIES