The protection of civilians, or in certain instances the lack thereof, lies at the heart of many humanitarian crises. Conflicts around the world have become more complex, fragmented, and protracted. Civilian populations often bear the brunt of the impact and face heightened protection risks, such as displacement, gender-based violence, and lack of access to healthcare and essential services. It is in this context that the protection of civilians has become a central component of humanitarian response, yet defining and applying protection can be challenging. Drawing on her experiences in Bangladesh, South Sudan, and Afghanistan, Ranya Ghadban will reflect on protection definitions and activities, review current global protection trends and challenges, and highlight opportunities on how to strengthen protection outcomes for civilians.
Unpacking Protection in Humanitarian Action: Current Trends and Challenges
Ranya Ghadban is a Humanitarian Protection Advisor and Training and Education Instructor at the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM). She has almost a decade of experience as a humanitarian Protection Officer and Coordinator in complex humanitarian crises. Ranya leads in the development of protection related training curriculum and instructor for the CFE-DM Humanitarian Assistance Response Training (HART) Course. Her focus is international response communities, protection considerations for military planning and operations, gender-based violence (GBV), and civil military coordination for protection outcomes.