Professional Standards for Protection Work: Carried Out by Humanitarian and Human Rights Actors in Armed Conflict and Other Situations of Violence

Protecting people caught up in armed conflict and other situations of violence is a critical challenge. In many armed conflicts, distinctions between civilians and combatants are deliberately blurred. All too often civilians are the target of attacks and systematic violations and abuse of their rights. States and other relevant duty bearers frequently lack the capacity - or the will - to ensure effective protection of those at risk. Worse still, they may themselves perpetrate violence and abuse against certain segments of the population.

The international community has not remained indifferent to this challenge. Significant improvements have occurred in recent years in the response to protection crises. A key factor has been the marked increase in the number and diversity of humanitarian and human rights actors involved in promoting the protection of those at risk of violations or abuses in armed conflict and other situations of violence. Today, a broad range of both humanitarian and human rights actors can be found in practically all hot spots around the globe, as well as in critical situations outside the spotlight of the global media.