OCHA on Message: Protection

Protection is a broad term for activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of all individuals in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law, regardless of their age, gender or social, ethnic, national, religious or other background.

Where people are at risk of violence, coercion and deprivation in a context of humanitarian crisis, humanitarian organizations seek to reduce people’s level of risk by:
• Preventing, or ensuring protection from, abuse and alleviating its immediate effects through responsive action.
• Using remedial action to restore dignity and ensure well-being and recovery through assistance and rehabilitation.
• Cultivating a social, cultural, institutional and legal environment conducive to respect for rights through environment building.