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Core sectors

Protection

The Protection sector is one of DRC’s five core sectors of intervention. Its overall objective is to ensure that conflict- and displacement-affected people enjoy their human rights and have no displacement-related protection needs.

Protection of Conflict- and Displacement-Affected People

The aim of Protection is to ensure that conflict- and displacement-affected people enjoy their human rights and have no displacement-related protection needs.

Defining “Protection”

Protection encompasses: “All activities aimed at ensuring full respect for the rights of the individual in accordance with the letter and the spirit of the relevant bodies of law, i.e. human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee law.”

In practice, protection interventions aim to protect conflict- and displacement-affected people and communities from violence and / or the fear of violence, coercion and deliberate deprivation.

A positive outcome from a protection intervention results in a reduction of protection risks for affected persons and communities, including decreasing threats they are exposed to, reducing their vulnerabilities, and increasing their capacities for self-protection. This is achieved through changes in behaviour, attitudes,  knowledge, policies and practices on the part of relevant stakeholders.

3 Dimensions of Protection

Protection is a multi-faceted concept. Protection is:

Protection Sector Components

DRC’s Protection sector consists of the following components:

While a responsibility for all staff and sectors, the Protection sector is responsible for promoting and driving DRC’s efforts on:

Projects under Protection

ASPIRE: How young South Sudanese refugees endeavour to create peaceful communities

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Protection Analysis and Data Entry, Exploration Platform (DEEP)

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News about ProtectionView all news

04 Oct 2024

Voices from Gaza: Meet three women whose lives radically changed a year ago

03 Oct 2024

Gaza: incomparable and unprecedented suffering

02 Oct 2024

DRC’s expertise as a legal aid actor on asylum & legal stay

25 Sep 2024

DRC and partners win the Kluz Prize for PeaceTech

11 Sep 2024

Ukraine: Tackling humanitarian crisis in South

22 Aug 2024

Not left behind: Empowering refugees with disabilities in Türkiye

11 Jul 2024

Proposed U.S. asylum rule limits access to protection and fuels increase in vulnerability

24 Jun 2024

Multipurpose cash support for complex civil documentation cases in Iraq

21 Jun 2024

Upholding the promises of the Cartagena Declaration

06 Jun 2024

IDPs returning from Kurdistan camps find areas of origin without support or services

06 May 2024

DRC’s capacity building program for national/local NGO's in Latin America

02 May 2024

European Union misses opportunity to press for safety of refugees in Lebanon

27 Mar 2024

A Single Mother's Search for Safety and Family Reunion

08 Mar 2024

How displacement in informal sites intensifies forced marriage risks in Iraq

08 Mar 2024

Empowering Community Women Leaders

06 Mar 2024

Helping Families to Realise Their Rights: DRC's Legal Aid in Iraq

04 Mar 2024

Breaking the Chains of Abuse in Bentiu

06 Feb 2024

A Day of Disaster & a Year of Challenges

31 Jan 2024

Evidence of an upsurge in violence and rights violations against people on the move in Mexico, needs overview shows

19 Jan 2024

New Report from ASPIRE: Endeavours for Peace for young South Sudanese Refugees in Uganda

02 Jan 2024

DRC Yemen: Transforming Lives in 2023

28 Dec 2023

DRC's Intervention Saves Saeed's Life Following a Landmine Explosion

13 Dec 2023

Ukraine: Surviving captivity in 2014, mother of 2 had to flee from home amidst the onset of war

12 Dec 2023

Moldova: DRC is committed to continue strategic partnership with Ministry of Internal Affairs of Moldova to strengthen joint refugee response

08 Dec 2023

Moldova: And the next level...

21 Nov 2023

Ukraine: The journey of a single mother fleeing the frontline Kherson city

13 Nov 2023

Poland: Four thousand kilometres long way to find a new home

10 Nov 2023

DRC’s support to Ukrainian civilians traveling from Poland to their hometowns: a glimpse into the mine risk education activities in Poland

09 Nov 2023

Poland | Open Place Krakow: Aid and activities for refugees and migrants

08 Nov 2023

Poland: Coping with displacement and being away from Ukraine

07 Nov 2023

Poland: Getting a second chance in life and a sense of hope after fleeing the war in Ukraine

30 Sep 2023

Protection Information Management Portal: Mexico

30 Sep 2023

Dashboards: Mexico

30 Sep 2023

Protection Information Management Portal: Americas

30 Sep 2023

Protection Information Management Portal: Peru

30 Sep 2023

Dashboards: Peru

30 Sep 2023

Dashboards: Colombia

30 Sep 2023

Protection Information Management Portal: Colombia

24 Sep 2023

Ukraine: 'I saw the missile coming' – a struggle of a single mother returning to rebuild a home

21 Sep 2023

Ukraine: Supporting children affected by explosive ordnance

20 Sep 2023

Poland: “We were 20,000 people in my home area. Now, it’s a ghost town in Ukraine!” 

19 Sep 2023

Poland: Nurturing leadership talent among migrants and refugees

15 Sep 2023

Moldova: Finding the tune in a new life after fleeing war in Ukraine

11 Sep 2023

DRC Supports Refugees’ Access to Key Services in Earthquake-Affected Zones

11 Sep 2023

Greece: Celebrating friendship in a music video by refugee children

28 Aug 2023

Bangladesh: Empowering women in refugee host communities

04 Aug 2023

Poland: How offices in Warsaw are turned into shelter for vulnerable refugees from Ukraine

26 Jul 2023

DRC's Psychosocial Support: a Lifeline for Earthquake Survivors

10 Jul 2023

DRC Moldova: Joint efforts improve access to legal aid for Ukrainian refugees

04 Jul 2023

Photos from CAR: Changing lives one shop at a time

28 Jun 2023

Poland: New community centre for Ukrainian refugees in Krakow

21 Jun 2023

Poland: Tailoring free legal aid to protect refugees and vulnerable minorities

21 Jun 2023

Teaching youth in Serbia about gender-based violence and rights

21 Jun 2023

Safe Migration Information is critical for Ukrainians on the move

20 Jun 2023

Medical aid piloted for migrants and refugees in Moldova

20 Jun 2023

Bangladesh: Displaced within the world’s largest refugee camp

16 Jun 2023

Joint NGO Statement: The EU must not be complicit in the loss of lives at sea and in rights violations at Europe’s borders

16 Jun 2023

Greece: Need for spaces that are child-friendly and safe

09 Jun 2023

Addressing critical needs of Afghans: New Study Recommends Strategies for Principled Action

15 May 2023

DRC Greece: Human Rights Actors join forces across Europe

15 May 2023

DRC launches cyclone emergency response in Myanmar and Bangladesh

15 May 2023

Bosnia & Herzegovina: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

11 May 2023

Italian State blueprints DRC pilot for support to Ukrainian refugees

10 May 2023

Photo gallery from Mali: Our emergency mobile teams deploy within 72 hours - even to the hardest-to-reach areas.

02 May 2023

Joint statement: Sudan INGO Forum calls on conflict parties to ensure protection of civilians

24 Apr 2023

Somalia: DRC provides integrated emergency support to families displaced by conflict in Laascaanood

14 Apr 2023

Moldova: Helping refugees from Ukraine overcome digital literacy barriers

16 Mar 2023

DRC Secretary General: We have reached 3 million Ukrainians

08 Mar 2023

Development of skills among DRC staff on Gender-Based Violence in Bosnia & Hercegovina

06 Mar 2023

From Ukraine to Serbia: A living nightmare to escape war

03 Mar 2023

Meet Akin Duran, our Communication with Communities Officer

02 Mar 2023

One year after the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive: learnings on protection of refugees from Ukraine

24 Feb 2023

Romania – a safe haven and transit point for Ukrainian refugees

24 Feb 2023

Joint humanitarian NGO statement: Ukraine one year on: Highlighting the needs of displaced Ukrainians in Georgia

24 Feb 2023

Joint humanitarian NGO statement: Humanitarian situation in Malakal still not ripe to decommission POC

21 Feb 2023

Meet Jovanka Runić, our Protection Team Leader

16 Feb 2023

Meet Samir Aboukaf, our Translator and Cultural Mediator

14 Feb 2023

Looking for asylum for 18 years

13 Feb 2023

Heaven or hell at Italy’s northern borders

31 Jan 2023

Dream big, go hard and never give up! Abdirahman’s pursuit to success intensifies

30 Jan 2023

Mykolaiv: A city without doors, windows and half of its citizens

27 Jan 2023

DRC focuses on improving access to primary and secondary health care to people on the move

16 Jan 2023

New report: How anti-trafficking and anti-smuggling measures can improve protection for Rohingya Refugees in Asia

16 Jan 2023

Meet Faris Kulić, our Warehouse and Logistics Officer

12 Jan 2023

Iraq is at a crossroads – the EU’s engagement in 2023 can help set the course

11 Jan 2023

Meet Erdumana Spahić, our Cultural Mediator and Translator

09 Jan 2023

Hope amidst conflict for Ethiopian Refugees in Um Rakuba Camp, Sudan

06 Jan 2023

Meet Mufid Khalili, our Protection Officer

29 Dec 2022

Moldova: Compassion, solidarity - and warmth

29 Dec 2022

Fleeing war in Ukraine - finding refuge in Serbia

21 Dec 2022

Strengthening health support to vulnerable people on the move

13 Dec 2022

Emergency shelter in Poland for refugees from Ukraine

13 Dec 2022

From surviving in basements in Ukraine to safety in Moldova

07 Dec 2022

Joint statement: Solutions and Protection at the Center of Quality Funding

30 Nov 2022

Free2Link comes to an end!

24 Nov 2022

Protection Monitoring Dash Board Mexico

22 Nov 2022

New insights: Legal aid needs in mixed migration flows

08 Nov 2022

Meet Ines Arnautović, our Health Team Leader

04 Oct 2022

Financial Aid for Ukrainians in BiH

15 Sep 2022

Five years on from the end of the conflict, up to one million Iraqis lack essential identity documents

01 Aug 2022

Most Significant Change

18 Jul 2022

DRC in Ukraine: Safe spaces and hot meals - shelters in Dnipro

14 Jun 2022

DRC scales up support in Moldova responding to the Ukraine crisis

13 Dec 2021

Statement on the Global Compact on Refugees High Level Officials Meeting

25 Nov 2021

Thousands of people in DR Congo are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance amid a new surge of violence

07 Jul 2021

Countering human smuggling: No silver bullet for safer mobility

We work with Protection in these countries

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