UNHCR Protection Brief: Security Screening of IDPs

Security screening is in principle a reasonable and justifiable measure to ensure safety and security of populations including those displaced. However the management of the security screening process in an often ad hoc manner poses a range of protection concerns and risks to IDPs which includes disappearances, family separations, lengthy detentions and exploitation and abuse.

There is no clear government policy/ written instructions on how the security- screening sites are to be set up or operate, but in practice security screening is undertaken by multiple security entities in areas of displacement. While in the KRI, the Assayish take the lead, in Centre and South multiple security entities are involved and 5-7 separate databases are used.