Attachments
Background
The Protection and Community Services Sector (PCSS) brings together protection and community services actors in Syria to ensure effective coordination of the response to the needs of the persons affected by the crisis, avoid duplication, share best practices and develop strategies and joint responses to address protection challenges. The Sector provides advice to the Humanitarian Coordinator and the Humanitarian Country Team on protection advocacy and interventions, and assists other Sectors to mainstream protection principles and standards in their humanitarian response.
The PCSS is led by UNHCR and currently has 17 members, including UN agencies, National and International NGOs. It has two sub-working groups: Child Protection (CP), led by UNICEF with 17 members, and Gender Based Violence (GBV), led by UNFPA with 19 members.
The Sector’s objectives, as per the 2016 Humanitarian Response Plan, are to (1) Increase the protection of affected people at risk from the consequences of the crisis through sustained advocacy, risk mitigation and enhanced protection responses; (2) Strengthen the capacity of national community-based actors to assess, analyse and respond to protection needs; (3) Girls and boys affected by the crisis, with a focus on those most at risk in prioritized locations, have access to effective and quality child protection responses in line with the CP Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action; (4) Survivors of GBV have access to quality comprehensive GBV services, and measures are in place to prevent and reduce risks of GBV; and (5) Reduce the impact of explosive remnants through risk education activities.
Achievements Response
-
Members of the PCSS, CP and GBV Sub-Sectors continue to participate in Inter Agency Convoys. By end of April, UN Agencies participating in the convoys have identified protection issues in seven locations (estimated 374,000 persons) using tools developed by the PCSS and Sub-Sectors. Observations have established the inextricable link between different protection risks, where the very situation of besiegement significantly increases such risks and has prevented a response. The most evident impact of besiegement is on freedom of movement of civilians who remain trapped in unsafe areas. A number of families have been separated, including children from their parents, particularly when a siege has been suddenly imposed. Lack of access to safety is particularly acute in cases that require urgent medical treatment. Indications of severe trauma could be observed with children being particularly affected. People in all locations expressed the need to register civil status and get identity documentation, and records are kept at local level with the intention to eventually integrate them in the civil registry. Particular protection risks for boys and girls were noted. Access to education has been severely impacted due to destroyed or damaged schools, lack of school supplies, and qualified teachers. Constrained access to education appears to be also linked to the situation of children who have been recruited into armed groups. While early marriage was a pre-existing practice, the age of marriage has considerably decreased, particularly affecting girls. UN Protection Agencies are taking up these issues with relevant authorities and relevant parties on behalf of affected populations.
-
Community-based responses by Sector partners are significantly growing. Since end of 2015, community centers have increased from 30 to 43, outreach volunteers from 520 to 1,170, child friendly spaces from 125 to 141 and women and girls safe houses from 15 to
- This expansion is enabling partners to address needs in a more comprehensive way in more sub districts and communities. In some governorates, State services are being mapped along with those of humanitarian partners to strengthen integrated responses. These efforts will be further extended to other areas of the countries in 2016. IT tools have been developed to support the outreach and community work ensuring adequate referrals and consistency across the humanitarian protection and community services responses.
- The PCSS reviewed and endorsed a UNHCR-drafted paper on “Protection and Humanitarian Considerations for the Engagement of Humanitarian Actors in Situations of Negotiated Ceasefires and Related Humanitarian Evacuations in Syria” which aims to further improve humanitarian response in such situations from a principled and operationally sound perspective. The document was presented to the Humanitarian Country Team, which is reviewing it with a view to endorsing it.