INTRODUCTION TO PROTECTION IN HUMANITARIAN ACTION

According to the UNHCR Emergency Preparedness and Response in 2023 report, humanitarian emergencies in the world are continuously increasing, reaching the highest number in the last ten years. Conflicts, natural disasters, and the effects of climate change have made assistance interventions increasingly necessary at a global level. In this context, the protection of the most vulnerable individuals is one of the central actions and INTERSOS is at the forefront in ensuring it. Chad, South Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen, Venezuela are just some of the countries where INTERSOS's intervention is crucial in ensuring that the needs of the population are met, often displaced and therefore exposed to continuous risks.

In the humanitarian context, protection refers to all activities aimed at achieving full respect for the rights of the individual (IASC, 1999). The objectives of protection actions are therefore the prevention and mitigation of risks to which the population is exposed, such as violence and coercion. It is therefore important to analyse the context in order to develop adequate responses in the shortest possible time. The protection actions carried out mainly consist of the physical and psychological protection of the most vulnerable, through psychosocial and legal support for those who have been or are victims of violence. However, protection does not only have an individual dimension, but also a community dimension, encompassed in awareness-raising actions on the issues mentioned, in order to strengthen the social environment of reference and thus avoid the need for new interventions. Community involvement remains crucial, and is also expressed through the claiming of one's rights, access to services, education and information. As the IASC recalls, protection is the responsibility of every individual in the humanitarian community, and for this reason the professional figures involved in these actions are many: psychologists, social workers and assistants, mediators, educators.

With over 30 years of experience in the field , INTERSOS has developed a wealth of theoretical and practical knowledge that it now intends to share through the new INTERSOS Lab training course Introduction to Protection in Humanitarian Action. The course, which will start on October 29, 2024, is aimed primarily at graduates and professionals in the humanitarian sector. Through seven days of training, entirely in English, participants will be able to delve into the principles and framework of humanitarian protection in emergency contexts, with a particular focus on Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Child Protection (CP).

Among the trainers Giulia Menegatti, Protection Specialist of INTERSOS, Emelita Cabanas, Loubna al Kandam, Nasiha Omar and Ahmet Ibrahim, Protection Coordinators respectively in Nigeria, Jordan, Yemen and Iraq. The course represents a unique opportunity to delve into the issues of protection in the humanitarian field and to directly interact with professionals who work daily in this sector. Precisely for this reason, a proactive approach will be used during the lessons, combining frontal sessions with moments of practical exercise through case studies and project work, in order to offer concrete tools for the management of complex cases.

The course will be delivered exclusively remotely and available both live and asynchronously, to ensure maximum accessibility in Italy and abroad. If you do not want to miss the opportunity to interface with specialists in the sector and to delve into the central themes of humanitarian work, sign up for the course, there are only 15 places available!

For further information, please visit the course page or write to info@intersoslab.it