Enhancing Protection of Conflict Affected Children (Boys and Girls), Adolescents and their Families and Building their Resilience in Panyijar, Leer, Mayendit and Koch Counties of former Unity State Panyijar, Leer, Mayendit and Koch Counties are among the locations affected by chronic cycle of conflict characterized by displacements of at least 81,700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) as at February 2017 and this is projected to increase further attributed to recent/ongoing fighting and cattle related violence (Southern Unity Humanitarian Briefing, March 2017). Most vulnerable and displaced populations, including girls and boys have faced grave human rights violations that include killings, unlawful detentions, looting/destruction of property, separation, dangers to mines and UXOs, gender based violence, rapes, forced recruitment and use of children in the armed forces and groups among others. The conflict has taken a heavy toll on women, girls, boys and men who have been forcefully recruited into armed groups and forces, including abduction of women and girls serving as wives/cooks in the armed forces/groups. These have been compounded by food insecurity including recent (February 2017) declaration of famine in southern Unity counties with an estimated 100,000 in IPC 5 (Catastrophe) (IPC Report, 2017) forcing women and girls who have to walk for longer distances in search of food, further exposing them to exploitation, sexual and gender based violence while girls have been forced into engaging in transactional sex that exposes them to negative reproductive health consequences.
The project will target beneficiaries primarily made up of 10,000 children (girls and boys) and youth (male and female) and 2,000 adults (men and women) (including elderly and disabled) amongst the most vulnerable conflict affected agro-pastoralist IDP and host communities in Panyijar, Leer, Mayendit and Koch Counties. Proposed activities are in line with the 2017 Humanitarian Response Plan and Protection cluster strategy document through community based approach intervention, whereby child protection will continue to employ the full engagement of existing community-based child protection networks, set-up Child-Help-Desks in distribution sites to organize where possible mobile PSS activities, GBV including case management, identifying and referring vulnerable children including cases of children in need of FTR and community and cross-sectoral outreach for safe referrals. Both static and mobile responses will be employed where applicable while involving community child protection structures.
VSF-Suisse has a long standing presence, experience and established grassroots networks in Unity State, including the targeted counties and is currently implementing emergency food security and livelihoods projects funded by OFDA and FAO covering all the 9 counties of the state. Linkages will be created between the ongoing projects and proposed child protection project with cattle camps and remote villages as the convergence points. The project will incorporate multi sector synergies by coordinating with counterpart agencies implementing FSL, WASH, Health, Nutrition (with other cluster actors) interventions across the same community, boma and payam where feasible through strengthened coordination to reduce overlaps, complement and scale up existing efforts in addition to ensuring mainstreaming of crosscutting issues such as AAP, protection (particularly among women and girls during distributions), gender equity, HIV/AIDS prevention and control among the youth and environmental conservation.