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BULLETIN June - August 2013
HIGHLIGHTS
• Learning Task Force of the Global Protection
Cluster facilitates a Coordination Training
facilitated for the Pakistan Protection Cluster
members and authorities (June)
• Preparedness activities for the monsoon
2013 continue: the Cluster completes the P&R
plan; actively supports the MIRA 2013 process;
Cluster agencies continue the engagement in
the Inter-agency training for district
authorities (June – August)
• The Protection Cluster monitors the process
of IDPs return to FATA and carries out three
Return Intention Surveys and monitoring in
areas of return (June – July)
• A new CERF Underfunded Window allocation
supports much needed protection activities
for IDP children, women and returnees in
KP/FATA (August)
• 9 protection projects active in the HOP 2013
KP/FATA; 1 in activation; 11.6 USD funding gap
from August to December 2013.
GENERAL DEVELOPMENTS
Protection Cluster Coordination Workshop
(Islamabad, 17 - 21 June 2013) After Pakistan had been recommended as one of
the selected country for 2013, the Learning Task
Force of the Global Protection Cluster (GPC) and
UNHCR Global Learning Centre, with the support of
the national cluster coordinators, organized a
training program on Cluster Coordination. The
five-day workshop took place in Islamabad form
17 to 21 June, gathering thirty participants from
Government institutions1, national civil society,
INGOs and UN agencies from five regions of
Pakistan2.
The workshop aimed at supporting the
coordination efforts of the Protection Cluster
members by providing both technical as well as
soft skills training, by creating a space for cluster
members to interact and by providing
participants with knowledge and tools to better
formulate strategies for intervention.
The workshop covered protection principles,
concepts and activities in the context of both
conflict induced displacement as well as natural
disaster and built on a precedent self-study
phase. The sessions alternated technical
protection knowledge (principles and analysis
tools, normative framework, the Humanitarian
Reform, Cluster coordination at both global and
country level, information management in
protection), with soft skills sessions
(communication and presentation skills,
negotiation skills, effective meetings and
effective team-work and attitudes).
Team attitudes and the “Belbin” test analysis / Photo Protection
Cluster Pakistan
1 Representatives from the National Disaster
Management Authority and its Gender and Child Cell;
from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority
(Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan) and
FATA Disaster Management Authority; from the
Provincial Department of Social Welfare (FATA and
Punjab) 2 Balochistan, Federal Administered Tribal Region/
FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh
PAKISTAN
2
Simulation of a press conference after a negotiation session/ Photo
Protection Cluster Pakistan
Some of the Protection Cluster lead Agencies
(UNICEF, UNHCR, and UNFPA) remained engaged
also in the Inter-agency training for district
authorities, which continued to be rolled out in
different provinces and districts. Resource persons
from amongst experienced staff led the sessions on
“Protection Principles/ Mainstreaming” and
“Protection-sensitive Beneficiary Selection Criteria”;
“Child Protection in Emergencies”; ageing and
disability mainstreaming and actively participated in
the CCCM and Assessment sessions with selected
topics of relevance.
Overview of Inter-Agency training - April – July
2013 (Source – OCHA)
Sessions Date Location (Districts) # P
Baloch. 1-5
April
Nasserabad Jaffarabad, Nasirabad
71
KP 22-26
April
Peshawar Charsada, Nowshera, Peshawar, DI Khan
57
Punjab 20-24
May
DG Khan Rajanpur, DG Khan, Muzaffargarh, RY Khan
97
Punjab 27-31
May
Multan Leiah, Jhang, Multan
37
Punjab 3-7
June
Sialkot, Gurjawala, Sialkot,
Narowal, Gujrat 78
Sindh 10-14
June
Hyderabad Jamshoro, Matari, TMK, Thatta, Badin
72
Sindh 17-21
June
Larkana Dadu, Jacobabad, Qamber SK, Kashmore, Larkana
62
Sindh 24-28
June
Sukkur
Gotkhi, Jacobabad, Khaipur, Nowshero Feroze, Shikarpur, Sukkur
63
KP 1-5
July
Mardan
Buner, Dir, Mardan, Swat,
Shangla
46
AJ&K 8-12
July
Muzzafarabad 59
The Age and Disability Task Force (ADTF)
conducted a two-day training session on Inclusive
Humanitarian Assistance, in order to strengthen
the capacities of humanitarian actors to include
disability in planning and programming. The
training was addressed to Protection, Shelter and
CCCM Cluster members in Peshawar on 2nd
and
3rd
of July 2013. In addition, on 27th
August, the
ADTF trained 16 focal points from KP/FATA
(cluster coordinators, FMDA, PDMA, Social
Welfare Department, FATA Secretariat, Child
Welfare Commission, UNHCR members), who
shall further support District Protection Working
Groups in their effort to address specific needs of
older persons and persons with disabilities.
Participants to the ADTF ToT on 27 August/ photo ADTF
From 26 to 31 August, the GBV Sub-cluster –
through UNFPA and UNICEF country offices -
hosted a field mission of the Global GBV Area of
Responsibility to conduct a series of field
consultations on the revision of the 2005 IASC
Guideline on GBV in Humanitarian Settings3.
Aside dedicated briefings with the Cluster
Coordinators and with the different areas of
expertise of the Protection Cluster, consultations
were also organised with almost all other Clusters
and with the Gender Task Force for inputs across
the various thematic areas of humanitarian
intervention.
In line with its role and advocacy on integrating
protection principles and approaches in the
disaster/emergency response, the Protection
Cluster issued a Guidance Note on “Protection
Mainstreaming in Assessments”. The note
3Pakistan was amongst the countries selected for the
field consultations, together with the Philippines,
Kenya, Jordan and El Salvador.
3
includes practical inputs on how to mainstream
protection in all phases of the assessment cycle,
from the preparatory phase (Code of Conduct,
sampling, participatory choice of respondents); to
the assessment tool (possible formulation of
questions); to the interviewing techniques
(confidentiality and informed consent, Dos and
Don’ts); to data tabulation, analysis and report
writing. The Note is also integrated with a vast
series of reference on Guidelines and Manuals on
Protection Mainstreaming. The initiative was
presented at the end of August at the National
Inter-Cluster Meeting. The Protection Cluster
offered dedicated presentations to other Clusters
and already accepted the invitation of the Shelter
Cluster. 4
During the reporting period, the Child Protection
sub-Cluster continued its work on Standards and
Guidelines, also in preparation for a possible
intervention in the context of the 2013 Monsoon.
Under the leadership of UNICEF, child protection
organisations have further refined and
disseminated the “Minimum Standards for
Protective Spaces for Children and Women”. The
Standards aim at harmonising the response and
assisting the government and the sub-Cluster in its
monitoring role. Some Provincial authorities (PDMA
KP) have already adopted the tool in their
operations. In addition, the Child Protection sub-
Cluster has revised and enriched the Tool-Kit on
“Child protection in Emergencies”. The tool gathers
a wider selection of pre-existing training,
orientation, reference and communication
materials on Child Protection in Emergencies,
contextualised to Pakistan and used by a variety of
specialised organisations in the country.
4Not available on the web-page of the Protection Cluster
http://pakresponse.info/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Ti9EBU
yUHSY%3d&tabid=151&mid=1031
MONSOON 2013PREPAREDNESS
As part of the standard inter-cluster
preparedness activity for the 2013 Monsoon, the
Protection Cluster has presented its
comprehensive Cluster Preparedness &
Response (P&R) Plan5. The Plan includes strategic
objectives, analysis of risks and vulnerabilities,
the current Cluster Structure and resources, and
a log-frame with the main P&R activities planned
by the Cluster. The Plan is also complemented
with periodically updated lists of available stocks
from Cluster partners that have pre-positioned
items (UNICEF, UNFPA and one protection NGOs)
and with a comprehensive mapping of
organisations and their staffing with protection
expertise in the field. At the beginning of August,
the Protection Cluster had mapped some 135
organisations (UN Agencies, INGOs, NGOs) with
Protection expertise (11 Balochistan, 12 FATA, 12
Islamabad, 24 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 17 Punjab,
59 Sindh), with some 1,693 reported staff with
declared capacity in the areas of responsibility of
the Cluster (41% female). Across the provinces,
most of the expertise was reported in the areas
of protection monitoring and child protection,
largely in KP/FATA and in Sindh.
MIRA Process and Training In the period under review the Protection Cluster
participated in the preparation and finalization of
the Multi-rapid Initial Assessment Tool (MIRA).
The Protection Cluster coordinators and
Information Management Officers were part of
the Assessment Working Group that finalized the
tool, coordinated by OCHA and in partnership
with the National Disaster Management
Authority (NDMA). In this process, the Protection
Cluster was able to work in close consultation
with the NDMA Gender and Child Cell. The
questionnaire/ tool were finalized, with
agreement on the questions, observation
checklist and definitions for the protection part.
In addition, the Protection Cluster was asked to
support the MIRA process with the drafting of a
5 Available on the “Preparedness” page of the Pak
Response Web-site at
http://pakresponse.info/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=hHl
w7nr5IbI%3d&tabid=78&mid=1084
4
Code of Conduct and a series of procedural
standards for the interviews (Do’s and Don’ts). The
Cluster strongly advocated for due attention to
gender, age and diversity mainstreaming in the
overall assessment. As other Clusters, the
Protection Cluster was also called to support the
field training sessions, with the preparation of
facilitators’ notes for protection-related themes and
with resource persons for the training, both at
national and at provincial level6.
MIRA Training Sessions
DATE Location (Districts)
21-22
August
Provincial training
- Sindh (Karachi)
- KP/FATA (Peshawar)
- Balochistan (Quetta)
26-28
August
District Level Training
- Multan (Punjab)
- Nassirabad (Balochistan)
- Sukkur (Sindh)
- Peshawar (KP/ FATA)
Situation and action taken At the time of writing of this report, no formal
request for humanitarian assistance has yet been
made by NDMA. Reports from the flood-affected
areas, particularly South Punjab and Sindh, continue
to reach the Protection Cluster, together with other
Clusters and humanitarian actors. Few are
protection specific. The Protection Cluster invites
civil society to present credible and accurate
reports to the District authorities and PDMA in the
respective provinces, for the authorities to be able
to possess all necessary information, including on
current needs and possible gaps and strengthen the
response.
The Cluster has also called selected partners to
conduct some protection monitoring in flood-
affected districts and in relief sites. As part of the
efforts to adequately integrate protection in the
disaster response, the Protection Cluster has
worked in close cooperation with IOM as Shelter/
CCCM lead agency in natural disasters and
supported the drafting of comprehensive
Guidelines on Relief Sites/ Evacuation Centres.
6All finalised MIRA documents can be found online
www.pakresponse.info/assessments in the form of a MIRA
package.
Protection actors devoted particular attention in
the monitoring and gender mainstreaming
components as well as in the section devoted to
involuntary removal of the population from the
Relief Sites, with recommendations on the
respect of principles of dignity and humanity. It is
hoped that the Guidelines will soon be finalised
and discussed with Governmental counterparts.
COMPLEX EMERGENCY KP/FATA
At the end of August 2013, the number of IDPs
registered in KP/FATA was 170,417 families
corresponding to over 790,000 individuals
registered. The slight decrease in IDP figures from
the June figures is a reflection of the return
process occurred during the month of June and
July 2013, largely to South Waziristan and to
Central Kurram (Parachamkani).
The age and gender composition did not change,
nor the breakdown between the camp and off-
camp population, though a decrease in the
population of New Durrani Camp was evident
with the return of the Parachamkani IDPs to
Central Kurram.
5
IDPs families originating from Khyber Agency (Bara
and Tirah Valley) continue to represent the majority
of the registered displaced population in KP (49%),
followed by IDPs originating from South Waziristan
(21.5%), Kurram Agency (17.4%) and Orakzai
Agency (12.2%).Peshawar valley remains the area
hosting the majority of the registered IDPs (45%),
particularly outside camps, followed by DI Khan
(15%) and Kohat (13%).
During the month of June and July, a more
sustained process of organised return of IDPs to
areas of origin in FATA was visible. Some were
residual IDP groups returning from Camp settings to
areas where the population had already re-
established in previous months or year, (Mohmand,
Bajour Agencies). However, the most significant
number of families returned to Central
Kurram/Parachamkani after a very fast cycle of
displacement.
Source UNHCR/ GoP IDP Fact Sheet 28
thAugust 2013
In line with the HCT-endorsed Standard
Operating Procedures (SOPs) on return, the
Protection Cluster embarked in a series of Return
Intention Surveys in areas of displacement and –
where feasible – monitoring missions in areas of
return to consult population of concern and
ascertain the voluntary, dignified and sustainable
character of the return. Despite the limitation in
that they are based on purposive or
representative samples, these initiatives
represent the tools for detecting the knowledge,
the intentions, and the foreseen challenges of
both the return process and the initial
reintegration. The Return Intention Surveys were
conducted during the month of June and July
with IDPs from South Waziristan, Parachamkani
(Central Kurram) and Tirah Valley7.
South Waziristan Return
In June 2013, the Protection Cluster managed to
organise a series of consultations with 249 IDPs
from Sarogha and Sarwakai, two additional
tehsils de-notified by the authorities as safe for
IDP return. Most of the consulted IDPs were
relatively stable and long-term residents in DI
Khan District. In addition, further consultations
with some IDPs representing the departing and
returned communities occurred during an inter-
agency/ inter-cluster mission organised from 1st
to 3rd
July to South Waziristan.
The consultation revealed that the return to
areas of origin is the most preferred durable
solution for more than 95% of the consulted IDPs
from South Waziristan, and that so far this
process has been voluntary and largely
conducted with no pressure (98.8% of
statements). It was also evident, however, that
the challenging situation in the areas of
displacement - largely in terms of coping
mechanisms - bore weight on the intention to
return; that access to information about the
areas of origin and the return process, including
the available assistance, was still not equally
available; and that IDPs largely anticipated
challenges in areas of origin, mainly linked to lack
of shelter, loss of livelihood opportunities, and
7 All Surveys and related reports are available on the
KP/FATA web-page of the Protection Cluster
http://complex.pakresponse.info/Clusters/Protection.
aspx
6
poor status of basic services such as health,
education, and infrastructure.
The survey also showed a relative confidence by
IDPs in the stability of the situation in areas or
return, largely based on the trust in the messages
from the local authorities on the re-established
security. However localized situation of movement
restrictions, fear of harassment by the security
apparatus and unresolved issues of house and land
occupation, including by the Military, remain of
concern in the post-return phase.
Convoy of returning IDPs to South Waziristan/ Photo Pr. Cluster
Parachamkani (Central Kurram) return
In mid-June, the FATA authorities declared that the
military operations in the Parachamkani area, which
displaced more than 10,000 families in mid-May
20138, had terminated. The authorities declared the
area safe for return and announced their intention
to organize the return of the IDPs with the support
of the humanitarian community.
The Protection Cluster through its members agreed
to conduct a series of consultations with the
Parachamkani population to capture their
intentions and position vis-à-vis the return process.
Five Protection Cluster members- EHSAR, PADO,
PVDP and SRSP- contributed to this exercise, which
also included the Child Protection Unit of Kurram
Agency of the Child Protection Unit within the FATA
Secretariat. The Protection Cluster consulted with
more than 520 (20% women) amongst IDPs (57%)
and returnees (43%).
8See Protection Cluster Bulletin March – May 2013 and
Protection Cluster Briefing Note on Parachamkani (Kurram)
Displacement, published on 11 June 2013 but with consultations
largely conducted at the end of May 2013. All briefing notes are
available on
http://complex.pakresponse.info/Clusters/Protection.aspx
In general the consultations revealed a marked
intention to return by all IDPs, although the swift
announcement and the arrangements quickly set
up by the civilian and military authorities seemed
to have been the decisive factor in the timing of
the return. In general, information on the areas
of origin/return seemed to be available, although
for a non-negligible segment of the consulted
population the process would have benefited
from additional knowledge on the authorities’
plans for the reconstruction of the area and
possibly a “Go and See” visit.
Most of the anticipated challenges seemed to be
linked to the general underdevelopment of the
area, pre-existing the displacement but
exacerbated by the conflict. Not surprisingly,
therefore, the displaced and returning population
highlighted a combination of urgent
humanitarian needs (food, NFIs/ emergency
shelter assistance, compensation for destroyed
houses, identity documents to solve registration
issues and improve freedom of movement),
assurances for the stabilisation of the area and
longer term recovery issues, such as improved
health services, increased education structures
especially for girls, more livelihood opportunities
and enhanced transport/infrastructures.
Most of these opinions were echoed in the series
of consultations that the same Cluster partners
conducted with recently returned families in their
areas of origin in Parachamkani in June-July.
Some returnees expressed the opinion that the
timeframe for return was extremely short, that
the announcement was sudden and that families
did not have enough time to adequately prepare.
The same groups also highlighted that more
information on the process and on the general
situation in areas of origin was expected from the
authorities.
There was a general consensus amongst the
majority of the fifteen groups consulted that the
situation in areas of return is safe and returnees
feel comfortable in having returned. This
included all the FGDs conducted with women
returnees.The non-occurrence of security
incidents seemed to provide positive indications
in this respect, although restrictions of
movements (military checkpoints, body searches)
still affected a full return to normalcy.
7
The returnees reconfirmed that the main challenges
and hence the main needed support was in the field
of health services, followed by the need for food,
education and shelter. When asked what suggestion
returnees would give to the authorities to better
support their situation after the return, in the
majority of the consultations the consensus was for
the provision of financial assistance to meet basic
needs.
Return from New Durrani to Parachamkani/ Photo UNHCR
Tirah Valley planned return
Since end March 2013, the Protection Cluster in
KP/FATA has been engaged in monitoring the
situation of the IDPs families displaced from Tirah
Valley9. While assistance to the Tirah Valley IDPs
continued, at the end of June the authorities de-
notified all 98 villages in Bagh Maidan area, based
on the reports that the security forces had regained
control of the Tirah valley. During few meetings of
the Return Task Force, the Government announced
the intention to organize the IDP return.
The Protection Cluster through its members
consulted the displaced population to capture their
intentions and position vis-à-vis the announced
return process. Based on the selected sample, 377
individuals were consulted during a Return
Intention Survey (48.5%women).
As for the majority of the other Return Intention
Surveys conducted with IDPs from FATA, the return
to Tirah Valley represented the most preferred
9See Protection Cluster Bulletin March – May 2013 and
the protection Cluster Briefing Notes on Tirah Valley
available on
http://complex.pakresponse.info/Clusters/Protection.aspx
durable solution (96.3% of the respondents). In
expressing this preference the vast majority of
the IDPs did not seem to be under pressure, and
some 53% were willing to return in a short
timeframe. It was also evident, however, that
better information on the situation in areas of
return was still sought and that “Go and See”
visits would have been appreciated by the large
majority of the IDPs (73%). The consultations also
revealed that assistance and coping mechanisms
in areas or return would influence the decision;
that the expected challenges in return areas were
significant, particularly in terms of shelter
assistance and basic services (health and
education); and that IDPs would have liked to see
some of the specialised assistance currently
offered to women and children to continue in
areas of return to overcome the psychological
distress of the recent violent displacement.
At the end of August the authorities announced
the imminent organisation of the return to Tirah
Valley from the beginning of September and
requested the support of the humanitarian
community. While the voluntary character of the
return remains undisputed, the Protection
Cluster has advocated with the humanitarian
community to mobilise the requested support
only after some conditions are in place: the
completion of the planned “Go and See” visit; the
submission of a comprehensive return plan from
the authorities, including on their planned
rehabilitation activities for the area; commitment
and prompt vacation by the Military of the
civilian properties currently occupied; adequate
time for a proper information campaign,
including on the available assistance regime, on
the programme of compensation as well as Mine
Risk Education; adequate and timely access for
the humanitarian actors, protection actors in
particular, to conduct returnee monitoring in
Tirah Valley.
Given the short timeframe and the seasonal
factors (the still active monsoon and the winter
setting by mid-October in the Tirah Valley Area),
the Protection Cluster cautioned to support only
a temporary return of split families, and
suggested to wisely consider the best timing for
the use of resources from the humanitarian
community for a sustainable return with
assurances of full humanitarian access.
8
Photos of civilian infrastructures in Tìrah Valley/ Bagh Maidan areas
during the inter-Cluster assessment mission 26-28 August
CERF ALLOCATION (Underfunded Window)
During the month of August, Pakistan was amongst
the selected countries benefitting from a 10 million
USD allocation from the CERF Underfunded
Window. Based on an analysis of the needs and on
an inter-cluster decision endorsed by the
Humanitarian Country Team, the Protection Cluster
received a tranche of 650,000 USD to cover some of
the most urgent gaps related to the complex
emergency and the return process. The allocation
was directed to UNICEF, UNFPA and IOM activities,
in line with the protection strategy within the HOP
2013 for KP/FATA.
Agency and CERF
allocated amount
Planned intervention
UNFPA
250,000 USD
Protective spaces and services
for women and girls, including
specialised support for GBV
survivors, in areas of
displacement of IDPs from
South Waziristan and in recently
de-notified areas of return.
UNICEF
200,000 USD
Protective spaces and
integrated services for children
and women in Jalozai and Togh
Serai Camps
IOM
200,000 USD
Humanitarian Communications
activities in areas hosting high
concentrations of IDPs and
potential returnees in KP/FATA
(both on- and off-camp)
HOP 2013 KP/FATA
The activities and projects of Protection Cluster
actors within the scope of the 2013 Humanitarian
Operational Plan (HOP) for KP/FATA increased
during the period in review, largely thanks to the
inception of the ERF-funded projects and to other
generous donor support. Under the HOP 2013,
protection activities are funded at the tune of
3.71 million USD, while some 650,000 USD are
still in the pipeline (CERF Underfunded Window).
Out of 34 projects, 8 projects are fully activated,
two are about to start implementation and 24 are
still unfunded.
In order to provide a realistic overview of the
funding gap, the Protection Cluster has
considered the budgets of the unfunded projects
only for the period August-December. Based on
these calculations, protection activities are still
underfunded for 11.6 million USD.
HOP 2013 KP/FATA– Overview Protection
Projects and funding gap
Type of
interventions
# active
projects
Budget/Gap
million USD
Protection (General)
11 Actors
12 Projects 2 6.8
Child Protection
13 Actors
16 projects
4 3.7
GBV
5 Actors
5 Projects 2 1.0
Ageing & Disability
1 Actor
1 Project 1 (activating) 0
Total Gap
Aug/ Dec2013
11.6 million USD*
(0.65 million USD in pipeline) *The gap does not consider the recent CERF allocations
(Underfunded Window)
9
Protection Cluster KP-FATA Achievements Type of
intervention
Achievement s
January – 31 July2013
IDP/ returnee
Registration
> Registration activities for all IDP
families voluntarily returning to Bajour
and Mohmand Agencies (residual
population), South Waziristan (1,900
families) and Central
Kurram/Parachamkani (10,263 families)
Monitoring
and
consultations
> On-going protection monitoring and
consultations, focussed on new
displacement and off-camp population,
as well as on-going return. Some 13,700
IDP consulted (33.3% women), including
921 consultations (20.4% women) during
Return Intention Surveys.
> 3 collective Protection Cluster Return
Intention Surveys to assess the intention,
the voluntary, free and well-informed
character of the return and formulate
recommendations
Grievances
Desks
> 15 Grievances desk active in Jalozai (3),
New Durrani (3), Togh Serai (2) and Off
camp in Nowshera (4), Kurram (2) , DI
Khan (1)
> Some 12,250 cases addressed (32%
women), mainly related to registration
and food assistance issues
Legal
Awareness
and legal aid
Some 23,905 persons (42.7% women)
supported with legal and rights
awareness, legal advice, including
information on civil documentation
Protective
Spaces for
Children
111 protective spaces for children and
women established in IDP camps and
host communities (2 mobile)
Protective
Services and
activities for
children
> Some 35,700 persons including 28,452
displaced children (43% girls) supported
with various services (recreational,
psychosocial support, child rights
awareness) in Child Protective Spaces
Children
referral to
social services
providers
Some 10,100 displaced children (44.3%
girls) and 2,996 women identified by CP
partners referred for Service provision to
various social service providers
Child Rights
Awareness
Some 24,000persons reached through
child rights messaging and awareness, of
whom 17,417 children (44.6% girls)
MRE activities 73,236 persons (65.6% children) reached
through MRE activities and products
Protective
services and
activities for
women and
girls
> 26,652 women and girls reached
through Child Protective spaces and 26
Women Friendly Spaces
> 4,747 women and girls provided with
psycho social support in WFS
> 4,120 women and girls engaged in
vocational training in WFS (708 men)
Child Protection Events in Jalozai Camp/ photo UNICEF
Source: Protection Cluster members through 4W /31 July 2013
10
STORIES FROM THE
FIELD
Handicrafts Exhibition
“Da Pukhtanu Peghlo Hunar"
The Handicrafts exhibition was arranged by PADO in
district Hangu in the context of its ERF-supported project.
More than 200 women, girls, other displaced populations,
community members, journalists and media, and
Government representatives participated in the event,
which was inaugurated by the Education District Officer.
The main purpose of the exhibition was to promote the
skills and artisanal products of IDPs women trained in the
Women Friendly Spaces (WFS) and to contribute to build
confidence and self-support. Trained women and girls
exhibited their hand-made and decorative products,
including embroidery, tie & dye, sweaters, glass painting,
paper mache, bead work and basketry. The exhibition was
arranged with stalls for each established WFC, which was
decorated by the trained IDP Women and girls, with the
support of the community protection monitors, the
vocational Instructors, the Committee members. This
participation was of great encouragement for the women,
as well as the interest shown by the public for their hand-
made products.
The event enjoyed the support of the authorities, in
particular the DCO, the law enforcement agencies and the
Social Welfare Department. Members from Government
and Non-Government Organization were invited to
participate and encourage the artisans. National, regional
and local newspapers highlighted PADO’s Handicrafts
Exhibition in all over the region. News Channel (Ab Tak
News Channel & Royal District News) also gave coverage
to the Event in their local/relative areas.
PADO project funded by the Pakistan Emergency Relief
Fund (78,465 USD) was implemented during the first
seven months of 2013 to strengthen resilience amongst
IDP women and host communities in Hangu District. The
project included a support network for survivors of
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and provided psychosocial
and counselling support to women and children. PADO
established three WFCs to offer skills training in various
disciplines – including those displayed in this exhibition –
to some 900 participants. PADO is part of the protection
Cluster in KP/FATA, active in the Child protection (UNICEF-
led) and GBV(UNFPA-led) areas of responsibility.
Handicrafts Exhibition
“Da Pukhtanu Peghlo Hunar"/ Photo PADO
11
STORIES FROM THE FIELD
Hope in the Darkness
“When I arrived at the camp I only had my mother and two kids accompanying me, we had no belonging. I
had little hope for our survival” said Saiyal Mina*.
Saiyal Mina, is a 28 years old widow living with two children and her mother. She originates from the Bara
Tehsil in Khyber Agency. Reportedly, her husband died during the conflict in Bara. She came to the Jalozai camp
3 years ago with no property or asset. She had left in panic, leaving her home and all her belongings behind.
The situation was so chaotic that she could not bury her husband with dignity and just managed to flee with
her little kids and her old mother. Upon arrival, she was in a state of severe distress and acute vulnerability,
with no shelter, without resources and no food to feed her kids. AS she reported, she lived in a constant fear of
either suffer from retaliation or dying of hunger.
IRC’s protection team in Jalozai identified the case, recognised her vulnerability and registered her as a Person
with Special need (PWSN) and a female headed household. She started receiving humanitarian assistance ain
the Jalozai camp.
The IRC Women Community Centres (WCCs) were established last year in Jalozai camp, under a project
supported by UNHCR. One female facilitator is based in each of the five WCCs. The WCCs organize women’s
peer support groups and conducts awareness-raising sessions on health, hygiene, protection, education, GBV
and other topics relevant to the female population in the camp context. The WCCs also provide basic literacy
classes and vocational skills training for women enrolled at the centres. IRC female Capacity Building Officer, in
collaboration with the IDP community, also organizes cultural and sports activities and celebrative events (e.g.
International Women’s Day).
Saiyal Mina was enrolled in one of the IRC WCCs last year in March. She is now coming to the WCC regularly
and has acquired sewing and tailoring skills. When other IDP women in the camp came to know the capacity
and skills of Saiyal Mina they started placing orders. She now sews clothes for other IDP families in the camp
and manages to earn income to guarantee the basic needs of her children and her old mother. “I am so happy
to have learnt sewing skills in the Women Centre, as well as to improve in my basic literacy. This knowledge
has helped me in the daily life in the camp. I have now realized the importance of education and literacy.
Now I am able to support myself and I managed to ensure that my two kids are enrolled at the IRC camp
school. In this way, they will not be afraid to be uneducated and one day they will be able to support
themselves, get a job and secure their future” said Saiyal Mina.
*Invented name to protect the identity
A WCC in Jalozai/ Photo IRC
12
Advocacy on protection issues in
Pakistan, the role of the Protection
Cluster By the Coordinators
Both in the natural disaster response and in the
complex emergency, the Protection Cluster in
Pakistan – including through the respective Sub-
Clusters and Task Forces - tries to responsibly fulfil
the core functions set forth by the Cluster Approach
and recently refined by the Transformative Agenda.
Amongst those functions, Clusters are called to
“Identify advocacy concerns to contribute to HC and
HCT messaging and action” and to “Undertake
advocacy activities on behalf of cluster participants
and the affected population”10
. The advocacy
efforts of the Protection Cluster in Pakistan to
induce positive change have so far followed these
two paths: internally, they have targeted the
humanitarian community to reinforce a principled
action along humanitarian protection values;
externally they have addressed the authorities at
different levels, often with informal and flexible
approaches, to raise awareness on protection
standards and on the primary responsibility of the
authorities to protect and assist disaster-affected
populations.
Examples of internal advocacy with the
humanitarian community
Between April and June 2013, inter-tribal conflict
and counter-insurgency operations in Khyber
Agency (Tirah Valley) and in Kurram Agency of the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) caused
the displacement of more than 30,000 families. The
Cluster embarked in a series of consultations and
assessments with the newly displaced population
and produced five thematic Briefing Notes,
including a dedicated one on the situation of newly
displaced women and girls. Each Briefing Note
included a series of recommendations directed to
inform the principled response of the humanitarian
community and were instrumental in the decision
for a more robust CERF emergency allocation for
protection activities. Aside those recommendations,
the Cluster produced a series of advocacy points on
the assistance policy to be adopted for the newly
displaced population, calling for the respect of the
basic humanitarian principle to assist needs
wherever they arise, to support key Humanitarian
10
“IASC - Reference Module for Cluster Coordination at
Country Level”, 1st
revision, July 2013, page 12
Country Team (HCT) representatives in their
dialogue with the Government.
In the context of the FATA displacement, HCT-
endorsed Standard Operating Procedures
establish a series of steps to be undertaken and
conditions to be fulfilled for the humanitarian
community when requested by the Government
to support the return of groups of IDPs to areas
declared safe. The Protection Cluster has
repeatedly advocated for a full respect of these
SOPs, as a guarantee for a voluntary, dignified
and safe return. This included conducting
qualitative and quantitative “Return Intention
Surveys”11
; advocating for “Go and See visits” for
IDPs to enhance their level of information on
areas of return; highlighting the necessity for the
authorities to guarantee adequate humanitarian
access for assistance and monitoring; requesting
articulated Action Plans from the authorities
covering the situations in areas of return and the
foreseen assistance and rehabilitation initiatives
of the Government. The Protection Cluster
highlights these points in various coordination
fora at sub-national level and in the HCT,
whenever the support to the Government in IDP
return is debated.
The Protection Cluster has undertaken various
technical and awareness-raising initiatives at
Inter-Cluster level for an effective integration of
protection principles in the humanitarian
response and in the activities of other clusters.
This included several Pakistan-customised
products: “Checklists” on how to mainstream
protection in other sectors of intervention;
thematic Guidelines12
; advocacy on respecting
principles of gender/ age/ diversity, ethics (Code
of Conducts), and confidentiality in joint
assessments (e.g. the MIRA Pakistan).
The Cluster has also directed its internal advocacy
to resource mobilisation in the context of pooled
funding (e.g. Pakistan Emergency Relief Fund), by
11
Almost ten Survey were conducted since April 2012,
the last three published in July 2013. 12
“Checklists” (Ageing and Disability, Wash, Food,
Health, DRR); “Guidelines on beneficiary selection
criteria” (2011); Technical Guidelines on Ageing and
Disability (2012); participation in the drafting of other
Guidelines such as the “Guidelines on Cash for Work
Programming - Mitigating Impact of Crises on
Livelihoods of Vulnerable Population” (2012),
“Mainstreaming Protection in Assessment” (2013),
“Evacuation Sites Guidelines” (2013 in progress).
13
providing evidence of protection response gaps on
the ground and by highlighting successful stories of
protection activities/ projects, including in
periodical “Cluster Bulletins”.
Finally, the Cluster, largely through its coordinators,
has been a constant contributor to various
advocacy products / key messages coordinated by
OCHA on behalf of the HCT to promote and affirm
humanitarian principles with a various range of
external stakeholders.
Examples of external advocacy with the authorities
Substantial direct advocacy has been exercised on
the importance to adopt protection-sensitive
approaches in the Government emergency
response. The Cluster has invested considerable
time in sensitising the National Disaster
Management Authority (NDMA)to maintain and
expand the protection section in Government-
approved joint needs assessments (e.g. MIRA
Pakistan) and in adequately mainstreaming gender/
age/ diversity in the assessment process (e.g. choice
of the respondents, gender disaggregated analysis).
The same bilateral advocacy has been adopted with
NDMA in planning the Inter-agency orientation
programme on disaster preparedness for District
authorities. The Cluster has successfully affirmed
the inclusion of protection topics in the curriculum
and expanded it to Child Protection in Emergencies
and Gender topics. In this endeavour, the
Protection Cluster received an appreciated support
from the NDMA Gender and Child Cell.
During the last two years, the Child Protection sub-
Cluster in Pakistan engaged in a sustained advocacy
at national and provincial level to promote the
adoption of key operational Standards, Child
Protection Policies and Protocols, such as the Child
Protection Policy for the Federally Administered
Tribal Areas (FATA); the “Separated,
Unaccompanied and Missing Children in
Emergencies: Guidelines and Framework for Action”
(2011), now endorsed by various Provincial
authorities; the “Minimum Standards for Protective
Spaces for Children and Women (2012)” to assist
government and the sub cluster in its monitoring
role.
Particularly at sub-national level, where the
participation of the authorities in the Cluster allows
for more immediate and frequent contacts, the
Protection Cluster has been able to trigger action
and change. In February 2013, the Child Protection
sub-Cluster – together with the Education Cluster
– managed to promote the adoption of a
Notification from the Education Department of
the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Administration to
improve access to school for IDP Children, by
lifting the requirement for “Leave Certificates”,
traditionally difficult to obtain for the displaced
families. Seemingly, during the floods of fall
2012,the Protection Cluster in Sindh, through
monitoring and presence on the ground,
managed to sensitise the District authorities on
the importance of humanitarian demining and
MRE activities in some flood-affected districts in
Sindh and Balochistan.
On two occasions, the Protection Cluster
contributed to high level formal advocacy
interventions. In 2012, the Cluster was asked to
prepare an analysis of State practice and a series
of advocacy points for the HC/RC in its dialogue
with the national authorities to find a mutual
understanding on the existence of conflict-
induced internal displacement in Pakistan. In
2013, the Protection Cluster cooperated with the
Office of the Special Rapporteur on the Human
Rights of IDPs to issue a Statement on the respect
of the civilian character of the IDP Camps, in the
aftermath of the bombing in Jalozai Camp in
March 2013.
Common Challenges
Gathering solid information through monitoring
and consultations with persons of concern;
choosing the right level of intervention; building
alliances with some governmental stakeholders;
maintaining perseverance and coordination
within the Cluster have been key enabling factors
in most of these initiatives. However, challenges
remain for the Protection Cluster to successfully
carry out protection advocacy in Pakistan.
There is an evident need to continue to build a
more robust capacity of all the Cluster members
in protection monitoring and reporting, to
provide objective, impartial, accurate and
credible substance on which to base advocacy
interventions.
The decreasing level of available human
resources for the Cluster, especially at sub-
national level, needs to be addressed to
strengthen the possibility for effective
interventions with local authorities, or at least to
improve coordination, consultation and
14
information gathering within the Cluster at
provincial level.
The highly decentralised institutional set-up in
Pakistan, following the key constitutional
amendments of 2010, requires a process of multi-
layer advocacy, in the different Provinces other
than at national level. This often increases
complexity, prolongs the timeframe to achieve
results and multiplies the resources needed.
There is finally a strong need to maintain safe and
unimpeded humanitarian access to populations of
concern, including to gather reliable information, on
which every advocacy effort – even if informal –
must be based in order to be persuasive and
effective.
A reduced version of this article will appear on the
newsletter of the Global Protection Cluster
15
Protection Cluster
National level
Elisabetta Brumat
Cluster coordinator (UNHCR)
Valerie Svobodova
Cluster Coordinator (IRC)
Child Protection
Elizabeth Cossor
Child Protection
Sub-Cluster Coordinator (UNICEF)
Email: [email protected]
GBV
Stenly SAJOW
Humanitarian Coordinator for UNFPA
Age and Disability
Talal Waheed
Age and Disability Task Force Coordinator
Protection Cluster sub-national level Complex Emergency in KP/FATA
Elisabetta Brumat
Cluster coordinator (UNHCR)
Valerie Svobodova
Cluster Coordinator (IRC)
Imran Ullah Jan
Protection Coordination (National Officer - IRC)
Ali Farman
Child Protection sub-cluster coordinator (UNICEF)
Sajida Ali
GBV sub-cluster coordinator (UNFPA)
Other partners
Humanitarian Communication (IOM) www.hcomms.org
UN-Women (gender expertise)
Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF)
National Humanitarian Network (NHN)
Web-pages: http://pakresponse.info/MonsoonUpdates2012/Cl
usters/Protection.aspx
http://complex.pakresponse.info/Clusters/Protecti
on.aspx (complex Emergency in KP/FATA)
Each web- page has dedicated sub-cluster pages
Child Protection also has a dedicated Bulletin
http://pakresponse.info/MonsoonUpdates2012/Cl
usters/Protection/ChildProtection.aspx
16