OPERATIONS PROTOCOL FOR THE INTERNALLY DISPLACED
PERSONS (IDPs) PROTECTION CLUSTER
1.0 Rationale
On 08 November 2013, Typhoon Haiyan (locally known as Typhoon “Yolanda”)
struck the Philippines. Known as one of the strongest storms to make landfall, it affected
several regions, with VI, VII, and VIII being among the hardest hit, and killed over 6,000
people while displacing millions of others. It also caused massive damages to public
and private infrastructures and properties. Given the colossal destruction, the Philippine
Government called for international assistance for immediate recovery of the families
and communities affected by the disaster.
In response to this call, the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team in the
Philippines was activated. Followed by these series of events, the GOP and UN decided
to apply the Cluster Approach in the country by virtue of the NDCC Circular No. 5,
series of 2007 issued on 10 May 2007. This circular formally adopted and
institutionalized the Cluster Approach in the Philippine Disaster Management System
and designated government lead among clusters at the national, regional and provincial
levels.
Thus, on the initiative of the Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC) the
Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC) requested the High Commissioner for Refugees
that this Office assumes the leadership of the Protection Cluster to respond to this
emergency. The UNHCR readily accepted the responsibility and work in close
coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development as the
government Cluster Lead for IDP Protection. In the Philippines, the Protection Cluster
has two Areas of Responsibilities (AoRs).
The Child Protection Working Group (CPWG) aims to bring together in one forum
child protection actors and partners operational in areas affected by both natural and
human induced disasters and to facilitate the development and coordination of child
protection strategies and responses, including advocacy with authorities and
humanitarian actors as necessary.
The GBVSC (Gender-Based Violence Sub-Cluster) aims to coordinate and support
relevant stakeholders to put in place mechanisms to prevent gender-based violence and
provide survivor-centered and appropriate services to GBV survivors during natural and
human induced disasters.
2.0 Objective
Generally, the IDP PROTECTION CLUSTER aims to support and enhance the
Government’s capacity firstly to ensure that protection issues do not arise in emergency
situations and secondly, to respond and mitigate the effect of any protection issues that
do arise.
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Specific:
1. To ensure timely, appropriate, & quality provision of multi-sectoral and survivorcentered child protection and gender based violence services in accordance with
local, national and international guidelines/standards on child protection and
gender-based violence;
2. To strengthen partnerships for complementation and coordinated child protection
and gender-based violence response through the national, regional and Local
Inter-Agency Committees on Anti-Trafficking and Violence against Women and
their Children (LCAT-VAWC) and the Local Council for the Protection of Children
(LCPC);
3. To advocate with all humanitarian clusters, protection, child protection and
gender based violence duty bearers, private sector, and civil society organization
to mainstream child protection and gender based violence prevention and
response in DRRM programs, policies, and plans;
4. To enhance capacities of LCAT-VAWCs, LCPCs and other humanitarian actors
to prevent and respond to cases of abuse, exploitation, violence and neglect of
boys, girls, men and women affected by disasters; and
5. To establish common information, monitoring & reporting systems on child
protection and gender-based violence, linked to the IDP Protection Cluster
(IDPPC).
3.0 Concept of Operations/Coordination Mechanism
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) as Vice-Chair for
Disaster Response will take the lead in the Internally Displaced Persons Protection
Cluster (IDPPC) at the National to the Regional Level.
IDPPC operations will be conducted through coordination with the two areas of
responsibilities:
1) GBV Sub-Cluster wherein DSWD is designated as the government Sub-Cluster
Lead, co-led by the UNFPA
2) Child Protection Working Group chaired by the Council for the Welfare of
Children, an attached agency of the DSWD and co-led by the UNICEF.
At the Local government level, protection issues/cases are coordinated through the
LCAT-VAWC and the (LCPC), as illustrated in Protection reporting and referral
flowchart below.
The IDPPC will undertake all necessary measures, including confidentiality of
information, to ensure that humanitarian efforts does not lead to or perpetuate
discrimination, abuse, violence, neglect or exploitation. LGU Referral systems are
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established for the sake of the efficiency of protection action. No individual cases are to
be mentioned or discussed by the IDPPC to ensure maximum confidentiality.
GBV Reporting and Referral Flowchart
Department of Social
Welfare &
Development (DSWD)
Regional Office
Provincial Social
Welfare &
Development
Office (PSWDO)
GBV Sub-Cluster
Municipal Social Welfare
& Development Office
(MSWDO)
Police
Concerned Barangay
Official
Health Service
Provider
Independent
Service Provider
HW shall file an incident
report if survivor gives
consent
HW shall refer the case
Humanitarian Worker
(HW) learns of GBV
incident in IDP site
If survivor does not
want an incident report
filed
4.0 Roles and Responsibilities of IDP Protection Cluster
1. Establish and maintain appropriate coordination
mechanism
among all
humanitarian actors, including coordination of protection inputs, reports, and
humanitarian plan, and generation of resources;
2. Ensure that the protection response adequately takes into account the primary
responsibility of the government to ensure protection of affected persons, by
among others establishing adequate response mechanism and coordination with
the national and local authorities;
3. Facilitate appropriate links, exchange of information and coordination mechanism
with relevant actors;
4. Establish an adequate and coordinated understanding and analysis of the main
protection problems of the affected population, and make concerted efforts to
ensure that protection gaps are adequately covered;
5. Obtain and systematize information on current plans and actions to respond to
commonly identified protection problems;
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6. Develop and update agreed strategies and action plans to respond to commonly
identified protection problems/ issues;
7. Provide necessary protection standard and guidelines to humanitarian actors
and local institutions working in the protection sphere;
6.0 Membership:
The Protection Cluster will be composed of the main national and local agencies,
humanitarian, human rights and development actors working in the protection sector.
It will engage with the higher level Protection Cluster and coordinate within their level
to meeting the protection concerns of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Supporting the DSWD in the cluster is the National IACAT and IAC-VAWC members.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-Lead Agency
1. Undertake a mapping of CP and GBV actors and their programmatic and
geographic reach, and identifying gaps in coverage and quality;
2. Analyze trends and the principal risks faced by children and women in the
context of the emergency, both in evacuation centers and in affected
communities;
3. Provide guidance in the adaptation of the existing Guidelines in the
Establishment and Management of a Referral System in humanitarian settings in
order to provide timely life-saving interventions to GBV survivors;
4. Adhering to the WHO Ethical and Safety Recommendations for Researching,
Documenting and Monitoring Sexual Violence in Emergencies promote a safe
and ethical standardized system for collection, analysis, sharing and
management of GBV and CP related data;
5. Set-up information systems for measuring emergency CP and GBV needs and
responses;
6. Coordinate relevant inputs to the Humanitarian Action Plan and the mobilization
of resources through humanitarian funding mechanisms such as Flash Appeals,
Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP), Central Emergency Response Fund
(CERF), etc.
7. Identify CP and GBV issues that can be advocated or acted upon by LCATVAWCs and LCPC members, and support the development of advocacy
strategies and tools;
8. Provide guidance on standards and tools for CP and GBV responses in
emergencies;
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9. Provide capacity-building on CP and GBV in Emergencies, including coordination;
and
10. Developing appropriate programme strategies, as necessary, to address
protection and psychosocial needs of affected children and women.
Cluster Member Agency
a)
National Inter-agency Council on Anti-Trafficking and Violence
Against Women and Children (IACAT and IAC-VAWC Members)
Serve as the IDP Protection Cluster Members at the National and Regional levels
and be functional during emergencies
b)
Office of the Civil Defense (OCD)
Assist in the coordination and monitoring of LGUs with identified CP and GBV
cases.
c)
Philippine Red Cross (PRC)
Assist in the provision and coordination of health services.
d)
Other NGOs working for the Protection of Women and Children
Participate in IDPPC meetings, assessments, and provision of services to ensure
protection of IDPs.
VOLTAIRE T. GAZMIN
Secretary, DND and Chairperson
NDRRMC
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