PROTECTION:
The concept of protection is an ancient one, cited liberally in the Hebrew Scriptures and later in the New Testament, the Koran, and other religious writings. The word “protect” comes from the Latin protegere, meaning to shield, cover, protect, defend. Over the ages in Western civilization, the term has been used in various ways: God’s protection, royal protection, diplomatic protection, self-protection, protection under the law, and, more recently, equal protection, trade protection, consumer protection, social protection,
The
word “protect” comes from the Latin protegere, meaning to shield, cover,
protect, defend. Over the ages in Western civilization, the term has been used
in various ways: God’s protection, royal protection, diplomatic protection,
self-protection, protection under the law, and, more recently, equal
protection, trade protection, consumer protection, social protection, etc. It is used by historians, political scientists,
anthropologists, lawyers, politicians, and even theologians with somewhat
different meanings.
The
role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in protection
is
the only humanitarian actor with a mandate to take action to
prevent
attacks on civilians; all other humanitarian agencies focus primarily
on
working with the victims of such attacks.
In
seeking to deter attacks on civilians by government forces or armed opposition,
ICRC carries out behind-the-scenes negotiations with a variety of armed
entities on the basis of its neutrality and impartiality.
- Responsive action: activities undertaken to respond to an abuse, aimed at stopping it, preventing its recurrence, or alleviating its immediate effects
- Remedial action: activities aimed at restoring people’s dignity and adequate living conditions
- Environment-building action: activities intended to promote an environment conducive to full respect for the rights of the individual
Activities to protect people thus cover a broad range, including direct material and psychosocial assistance to victims of human rights abuses; advocacy; awareness raising; strengthening of civil society; pursuit of justice; and establishment of institutional mechanisms for response or prevention.
The humanitarian community has adopted the ICRC-promoted principle that protection means upholding all rights of the individual, not just ensuring physical security. Education is protection. The threat of indictment by the International Criminal Court is protection. Training programs on human rights are protection. The placement of latrines, the provision of reproductive health services, and livelihood projects all are protection. Handbooks have been developed, conferences organized, and policy guidelines formulated on incorporating protection into every aspect of humanitarian response. Building shelters, registering voters, negotiating with the government, informing the public, disabling land mines, and developing preschool curriculums all
can
be considered protection activities. When asked whether the definition
has
become so broad as to be meaningless, ICRC staff respond that it is important
to have a common “chapeau,” an umbrella under which different
organizations
can develop their own definitions, just as ICRC has done.
Without
that common overarching definition, there is the risk that organizations
will
do very different things.
To
respond to the large number of humanitarian actors, ICRC also took
the
lead in developing minimum standards for humanitarian organizations
engaged
in protection to provide basic guidance about what activities can
and
cannot be considered protection. Although the process took two years,
the
standards were drafted in a consultative process and, with the exception
of
guidance on relations between humanitarian agencies and military forces,
they proved to be remarkably consensual
