Global Protection Update: Leaving Known Ones Behind? March 2022

In the first quarter of this year, Protection Clusters reported a major increase of (1) impediments to freedom of movement and forced displacement, (2) theft, extorsion, eviction or destruction of personal property, (3) sexual and gender-based violence, and (4) child, early or forced marriage.

1. All operations report forced displacement and impediments to freedom of movement. 78% of operations classify the situation as severe or extreme compared to 58% in September 2021.
2. Theft, extorsion, eviction or destruction of personal property is a risk across all operations. 52% report the risk as severe or extreme compared to 36% in September 2021.
3. Every field operation reports Sexual and Gender-Based Violence as being amongst top concerns. 95% describe the risk of GBV as severe or extreme compared to 80% in September 2021.
4. Child, early or forced marriage is a risk across all operations. 52% rate the risk as severe or extreme compared to 42% in September 2021.

Time and again, the situation in Ukraine, as in many other brutal conflicts, is a pressing reminder of what happens to the most vulnerable when violence goes unchecked and human lives are deemed expendable as the world looks on. It alerts us on specific risks that persons with disabilities and older people face in times of emergencies, underpinned by attitudinal, institutional, physical and communication barriers in the environment, and when the absence of mitigation measures, serves as a key catalyst for deepening inequalities.

This report features good practices from our Protection Clusters in Ukraine, Syria, oPt, Yemen, Somalia and Venezuela, where we live up to our responsibility of not being an obstacle to inclusion and participation, and where we exert efforts in coordinating more inclusive protection services and assistance.

As we all, rightly so, focus our response efforts on Ukraine, we cannot forget other crises around the globe that also demand our attention. Our responsibility as protection actors is to stand by those forgotten. At the GPC, we committed to keep on our watchlist, crises that no one is watching and focused our attention on CAR, Colombia, DRC, Haiti, and Cameroon that rarely made the headlines for sustained periods of time this year.