Governments are responsible for protecting the rights of refugees, stateless and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Humanitarian agencies are mandated to assist states to fulfil their protection obligations with due consideration for the core principle of humanity. Non-discrimination and impartiality must guide all protection work.
The Camp Management Agencies are responsible and accountable for working at camp level, together with the relevant authorities and protection actors, to ensure the protection of all people living in camps.
Protection by the Camp Management Agency and its partners entails a rights-based approach and activities that ensure the physical, legal and material security of the camp population. It is mainstreamed in the delivery of services and assistance.
The role of a Camp Management Agency involves coordinating with Cluster/Sector Leads, national authorities and protection agencies to support advocacy to uphold, at all levels, the rights of the displaced. This includes advocating for the development of a functioning and effective law enforcement mechanism in the camp.
Protection in camps involves making informed decisions concerning prevention against, together with appropriate monitoring, referral and reporting of, human rights violations, with due regard for confidentiality, security, accountability and response capacity.
The responsibility to protect implies a consistent presence of staff, participation of the camp population, timely information dissemination, monitoring of service provision, capacity building and dignified treatment by all camp actors.
The Camp Management Agency needs to be both aware of the rights to which the camp population is entitled and barriers to fully enjoying them.
Protection risks in camps are related to lack of safety and security, lack of access to assistance and protection and related to risks inherent in being in distress.
Refugees and internally displaced persons are protected by a number of international, regional and national legal instruments, directly or by analogy. These include those relating to international human rights and humanitarian law, the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (the 1951 Refugee Convention) and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
