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Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms: Key Messages
Community-Based Child Protection Mechanisms: Key Messages
protection mechanisms
The Convention on the Rights of the Child recognizes that parents, as well as families and communities
“have the primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child” and “States Parties
shall render appropriate assistance to parents and legal guardians in the performance of their child-
rearing responsibilities and shall ensure the development of institutions, facilities and services for the
care of children.” (Article 18). However, in times of humanitarian crisis and displacement, the capacity of
communities and parents is often undermined as children face new and exacerbated protection risks such
as family separation, abuse and exploitation and recruitment into armed forces and groups. In order to
mitigate those risks, it is important that humanitarian actors support and strengthen the protective capacity
of families and communities, who are the first point of call and primary duty-bearers when it comes to the
protection of vulnerable children. The active involvement of communities in the protection of children is a
key principle of action for UNHCR and is reiterated in the Framework for the Protection of Children.
Grounded in the actual and potential capacity of all communities, community-based protection assists
refugees and internally displaced persons to protect their security, secure their rights, and take or recover
control over their lives.”
Understanding Community-Based Protection, UNHCR 2013
Key messages
Ü Families and communities have the primary responsibility for the protection of children of concern.
Ü The involvement of the community in the identification of child protection issues and design and
implementation of activities will ultimately lead to better acceptance and greater impact of child
protection interventions.
Ü Involving the community will enable interventions to reach more children because resources are
used more effectively.
Ü The active participation of the community in the protection of children will guarantee sustainability
of the actions undertaken.
Ü Strengthening the engagement of communities in the protection and care of their children will support
refugees to realize greater self-reliance and dignity.
This briefing note has been produced by the Child Protection Unit, Division of International Protection,
in order to guide field operations on key thematic child protection issues.
Key Concepts Community-based child protection groups may be
involved in:
• Identification of protection concerns and
COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH: “A community-
vulnerable children
based approach is a way of working in partnership
with persons of concern during all stages of UNHCR’s • Awareness raising on child rights and child protection
programme cycle. It recognizes the resilience,
• Referral and accompaniment of children and their
capacities, skills and resources of persons of concern,
families to appropriate services
builds on these to deliver protection and solutions, and
supports the community’s own goals” (UNHCR 2008). • Provision of psychosocial, emotional and spiritual
support to vulnerable children
A distinction is often made between the formal elements of the system, such as government-led police family units,
local courts, children’s offices and social workers (which are not always accessible to refugee, displaced and state-
less children) and the less formal or informal mechanisms that still have a role to play in child protection such as
CBOs, mothers’ groups, kinship networks, religious structures and other traditional mechanisms for protecting children.
However, current evaluations and research show that there is too often a disconnect between the informal and formal
elements of national child protection systems. It is essential that the two levels collaborate and that the central govern-
ment body dedicated to child welfare is equipped and resourced to also address issues and violations against children
in situations of displacement. CBCPM are an essential component of the overall child protection system; UNHCR
works to strengthen community-based mechanisms as well as the wider national system.
UNHCR in Action: Examples from the Field
Rwanda Cairo, Egypt
In Rwanda, child protection committees (CPCs) have In urban Cairo, Egypt, UNHCR’s partner runs a youth
been established in refugee camps. These CPCs mirror group for young people from many different refugee
an already existing nation-wide model of community- and asylum seeking communities (as well as some
based child protection networks in Rwanda. Members members of the host community) living in the area.
of the CPC are individuals from the refugee community Members of the youth group identified education as
who have agreed to commit to work towards the safety an issue of concern to them. As a result 45 young
and well-being of children in the camp on a volunteer people decided to conduct their own research on
basis. The volunteers of the Ishuri Inshuti Z’Abana the challenges faced by refugee and asylum seeking
(“Friendly school for children”) section of the CPC are all young people in education in different areas of Cairo.
adult women who provide children between 3 to 4 years The group became young researchers, carrying out
old with early childhood development. The members of qualitative interviews with fellow students, teachers,
the Abarengerabana (“protectors of children”) section community leaders and other significant adults. They
play an important role in the sensitization and reporting attended training workshops on data analysis, pulling
in their assigned area of intervention. They are also the information together and then completed a report on
responsible for advocating for the protection of children the process. They also produced a short documentary
in the camp. The members of the Nkundabana (“I love film to highlight the process and the issues. This report,
children”) section are selected to become mentors “Future researchers: Children’s Dreams for a Better
for children, in particular for children at risk (UASC). Education” was then used as one of the resources
They monitor children at risk and report back. There to inform UNHCR’s child protection and education
is a fourth group, Ijwi ry’Abana (“Voice of Children”) strategies. Members of the youth group also regularly
composed of children who advocate on child rights – to attend and contribute to the Inter-agency Education
ensure that children’s ideas are integrated into camp Working Group.
activities.
Girls and boys are protected from abuse, violence, exploitation and neglect through
community-based mechanisms and processes.”
Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian
Action Standard 16: Community-based mechanisms