Protection covers a wide range of activities that are aimed at ensuring respect for the rights of all individuals, regardless of their age, gender or social, ethnic, national, religious or other background, in accordance with the relevant bodies of law (e.g. human rights law, international humanitarian law and refugee law). This requires a collaborative and coordinated response by various national and international actors with diverse mandates, expertise and experience. States have the primary responsibility to protect all individuals within their jurisdiction in accordance with international and national legal provisions,

The protection environment for civilians remains a significant challengein Somalia. Lack or limited governmental authority and near continuous conflict throughout many parts of the country, coupled with rampant impunity, has resulted in mass displacement of people both within Somalia and to the neighbouring countries. Recurrent environmental disasters have only exacerbated the already fragile existence many Somalis live with.

Key protection violations that communities in Somalia face include forced displacement, gender-based violence, child rights violations, arbitrary detention, forced recruitment particularly of children, “deportation”, evictions, forced relocation, and family separation. The most vulnerable members of the community are often women and children, and minority groups. Vulnerable members of a community do not always have equal access to humanitarian assistance.

TheSomalia Protection Cluster aims to provide a coherent, coordinated, accountable, and comprehensive response to the protection needs of civilians. The Protection Cluster is comprised of roughly 130 protection and human rights focused organisations that undertake preventative and responsive activities within the following definitional framework:

The concept of protection encompasses all activities aimed at obtaining 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 law, refugee law).[1]

The overarching objective that Protection Cluster Members strive towards is equal respect for the rights of individuals without discrimination and as provided for in national and international law. Consequently, protection is not limited to survival and physical security but covers the full range of rights, including civil and political rights.

The Somalia Protection Cluster web page provides information on protection coordination in Somalia to assist protection actors to provide assistance and services.