The IASC defines protection as “all activities aimed at obtaining full respect for the rights of the individual in accordancewith the letter and the spirit of relevant bodies of law (i.e., international human rights law, international humanitarianlaw and international refugee law)”.152 Protection is at the centre of humanitarian action.153 In addition, a protection perspective recognizes that affected populations have capacities. They are rights holders who canclaim their rights; they are not passive recipients of aid.
The Sphere Handbook sets out four protection principles that represent the basic elements of protection in a humanitarian response:154
See Data and information management, Camp coordination and camp management, Education, Food security and nutrition, Livelihoods, Health, Shelter and settlements, and WASH.
Protection activities can be:
These activities are implemented through protection mainstreaming, protection integration or specific or specialized protectionprogrammes. In humanitarian contexts, persons with disabilities often face heightened protection risks as well as multiplebarriers to reporting rights violations and accessing protection services. It is therefore essential to put them at the centrewhen designing, implementing and monitoring protection activities. In addition, family members, caregivers and support personsplay a vital role in the lives of many persons with disabilities. It is important to consider them when analysing protectionand protection risks, because they are often part of the solution and sometimes part of the risk.
The Global Protection Cluster includes several areas of responsibility (AOR): child protection; protection related to sexual and gender-based violence;housing, land and property; and mine action. This section reflects the Global Protection Cluster structure.