Attachments
1. Executive Summary
Following the 6 February 2023 earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, the Protection Sector and its areas of responsibility (Child Protection, Gender-Based Violence and Mine Action) conducted a Rapid Protection Assessment from 9 to 15 February based on 100 Key Informant Interviews.
This report provides an overview of emerging protection risks and concerns as a result of the earthquake and aims to:
• Highlight key community-level protection concerns to be addressed through programmatic delivery or advocacy.
• Inform the initial protection response with a particular focus on Persons with Specific Needs and the most vulnerable, as well as inform priorities for subsequent protection monitoring and technical assessments.
• Inform guidance to non-protection humanitarian actors on how to provide assistance in a manner consistent with protection principles.
Main findings of the survey include the following:
• Extensive damage in the infrastructure of areas affected by the earthquake (nearly all locations surveyed are considered damaged or destroyed), including WASH, education, healthcare, humanitarian facilities, and shelters.
• Overcrowding is the most common issue in collective shelters (as reported by 69% of KIs). KIs reported that in many shelters, several families are staying in the same space without the necessary arrangements to guarantee sufficient levels of privacy and safety. The lack of gender segregation in shelters was also frequently observed (by 11% of KIs). Partitions, locks and gender-segregated bathrooms are missing, leading to concerns about elevated GBV risks.
• Restrictions on the freedom of movement were imposed by shelter managers on IDPs living in temporary shelters, according to 16% of KIs.
• Persons with chronic illnesses were the most common at-risk group in affected locations, as reported by 83% of KIs. Destitute older persons (76% of KIs), Female heads of households (74% of KIs), persons with disabilities (72% of KIs) and older persons providing care to a household (61% of KIs) were also frequently identified in the target areas. Cases of unaccompanied and separated children (25% of KIs) and children heads of households (8% of KIs) were also noted.
• Distribution of humanitarian assistance was ongoing in most assessed locations. However, the assistance provided was far from meeting the very severe needs. Gaps in humanitarian services were observed in all sectors, specifically in MHPSS, food, nutrition, health, education, shelter, and specialised protection services.
• Emerging harmful coping strategies such as child labour, begging and violence against women and children were reported among the affected population by 22% of KIs.
• Older people (as reported by 85% of KIs), people with disabilities (73%) and women and girls (63%) are perceived to be facing more significant challenges because of the catastrophe than other groups. Challenges include inadequate shelter arrangements for older people and people with disabilities, lack of services for people with specific needs, overcrowding, and lack of gender segregation/absence of lighting of shelters and bathrooms.
• Gaps in specific services for older persons, persons with disabilities and the youth were widely reported by respectively 81%, 86% and 84% of KIs.
• Signs of tensions between population groups were highlighted by 61% of KIs. Competition over limited resources was reportedly particularly acute between IDPs in shelters and the host community. The absence of clearly communicated selection criteria was perceived to add to the tensions between aid recipients and others.
• Housing, Land and Property (HLP) challenges were also highlighted by 70% of KIs. Key housing challenges involved the collapse or damage of housing, evacuation of buildings at risk of collapse and lost HLP documentation.
• 11% of KIs highlighted that people in the assessed locations do not have access to information about available services.
• 20% mentioned that the affected population does not know where to go if they wish to make a complaint.
• 15% of interviewed KIs reported that the affected people do not trust the available complaint mechanisms.