protection

SSORD works to protect the rights of displaced and vulnerable people during crises. Protection is about safety, dignity, and rights. It is about people being safe from the harm or abuse others might cause them when armed conflict or disaster leaves them vulnerable.

A commitment to protection underlies all humanitarian action. Grounded in human rights law, international humanitarian law, and refugee law, it is central to our mission to assist displaced and vulnerable people.

How does SSORD contribute to protection?

SSORD works to reduce or prevent threats to the safety, dignity, and well-being of affected persons. We reduce their vulnerability to threats and strengthen their self-protection capacities. This is important in all phases of displacement.

From avoiding harm by providing lighting in a camp, to working on housing, land, and property rights to prevent discrimination against women, SSORD works to protect displaced people and the communities that host them.

SSORD's approach to protection:

Work proactively to reduce protection risks

SSORD works to reduce risks of harm and rights abuses, and to assist people to exercise their rights. For example:

• Education programs that provide safe educational spaces make children and youth less vulnerable. Here, they are less exposed to harassment and forced recruitment by armed groups in conflict areas.
• Youth education programs reduce negative coping mechanisms and exposure to harm. This can reduce the risk of early marriage, forced sex trade, child labor, and isolation and tension at home.
• Information, counselling, and legal assistance in conjunction with housing, land, and property rights reduce the chance of displaced families being evicted.
• Shelter programs can reduce negative coping mechanisms and promote access to other services and rights. For example, fewer displaced families have to remove their children from school when they receive rent support in urban areas.

Work responsibly to avoid causing harm

SSORD – and all humanitarian actors – have a responsibility to avoid causing harm through our actions:

• We prioritise people's safety, dignity, and well-being. In our interventions, we strive to minimize any negative, unintended consequences that can expose people to further harm.
• We arrange for affected people's access to impartial assistance and services. This means overcoming barriers or discrimination of vulnerable persons. People may be vulnerable because of their age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or disability.