Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings

Globally, an unprecedented 131 million people are affected by humanitarian crises worldwide. Children, who constitute just under half of the affected population, are particularly vulnerable in these situations, which present grave risks to their physical health and psychological wellbeing.This course examines how children’s social environments at different levels, such as the family, community and societal levels, influence children’s adversity, development and resilience. Course participants will engage in critical thought about current international child protection practice and how to strengthen it. The course will invite participants to identify opportunities for using the learning from science and practice, to enrich current child protection approaches in humanitarian settings. This course is aimed at child protection practitioners who work internationally in humanitarian settings and is also designed for those who want to learn more about, or start working in, the sector. The course is not intended to provide a comprehensive introduction to child protection programming in humanitarian settings. Instead, it focuses on select areas that are ripe for enrichment.

What you'll learn

• How humanitarian crises can affect children’s wellbeing and development
• What risk and resilience mean in the context of child development and child protection and what factors influence these at the individual, family, community and societal levels
• The importance of taking issues of context, agency, relationships and prevention into account when designing interventions
• How to think critically about different approaches to child protection in humanitarian crises and identify improvements for practice