Child Protection
Protecting Every Child. Building Safer Communities.
At CRS, we are committed to protecting children from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other harmful practices. We believe every child deserves to grow up in a safe, caring, and supportive environment where they can feel protected, valued, and free to reach their full potential.
About Our Child Protection Programme
Protecting Every Child’s Right to Safety
At Children Relief Service (CRS), Child Protection is one of our core programmes. We believe every child deserves to grow up safe, protected, respected, and treated with dignity.
We work with children, families, caregivers, schools, community leaders, and local partners to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, child labour, early marriage, and other forms of harm. We strengthen community-based child protection systems and promote children’s rights, wellbeing, and healthy development.
Our work combines prevention and awareness, early risk identification, psychosocial support, referrals, and community engagement. Through these efforts, we help create safer, supportive, and nurturing environments where children can grow, learn, and thrive.
Why Child Protection Matters
Living and working here in Dzaleka Refugee Camp, I see every day how important it is to ensure children are safe, heard, and protected. Many children grow up facing difficult circumstances linked to displacement, poverty, food insecurity, interrupted education, and limited opportunities. These challenges can increase their exposure to neglect, exploitation, violence, abuse, and other forms of harm.
At CRS, child protection is not a programme that exists only on paper. It is about the children we see in our community, the families we work with, and the responsibility we share to help keep children safe.
When a child is protected, they have a better chance to learn, grow, develop confidence, and look forward to their future. That is why we work with children, parents, schools, community leaders, and local partners to prevent harm, identify risks early, and connect children and families with the support they need.
For me, protecting children means ensuring every child in Dzaleka has the opportunity to grow up with safety, dignity, care, and hope.
Who We Protect
From our work with children and families in Dzaleka, we know that every child deserves protection, but some children face greater risks and have fewer opportunities to access the support they need. CRS focuses on vulnerable children in Dzaleka Refugee Camp and the surrounding host communities, including children with disabilities, adolescent mothers, and children facing difficult social and economic circumstances.
| VULNERABLE CHILDREN |
|---|
| From our work with children and families in Dzaleka, we know that some children face greater risks and have fewer opportunities to access the protection and support they need. We focus on vulnerable children, including: Children with disabilities; Adolescent mothers; Children living in Dzaleka Refugee Camp; Children from surrounding host communities; Children facing greater protection risks and limited access to essential support |
| CHILDREN AT GREATER RISK |
| Protection Risks We Address: We give particular attention to children facing: Abuse and neglect; Exploitation and violence; Child marriage; Child labour; Other protection risks; Limited access to care and essential support; Interrupted or limited access to education |
| OUR GOAL |
| What We Want for Every Child: Our goal is simple: to help every child we reach grow up safe and protected, be treated with dignity and respect, access the care and support they need, have opportunities to learn and develop, build confidence and hope for the future, and thrive, regardless of their circumstances |
We believe that no child should be overlooked because of their circumstances. By working closely with families, communities, schools, and partners, we seek to ensure that vulnerable children receive the attention, protection, and support they need to live with dignity and hope.
What We Do
Through our Child Protection Programme, we work with children, families, and communities to prevent harm, strengthen protection, and ensure that children receive the care and support they need to grow up safe, confident, and protected.
We raise awareness on child rights and protection through community outreach, school activities, workshops, sports, and child-friendly sessions, helping children and communities recognize risks, speak up, seek help, and create safer environments for children.
We work with schools to promote safer learning environments where children can learn without fear of violence, abuse, discrimination, or exploitation. Activities include child rights education, protection awareness, safe reporting, and child-friendly discussions.
We work with community leaders, families, volunteers, and local structures to strengthen community-based child protection mechanisms. These structures help identify risks early, raise concerns, promote prevention, and support communities to respond appropriately to issues affecting children.
We raise awareness on child rights and protection through workshops, community dialogues, school activities, sports, debates, and child-friendly sessions, helping communities recognize risks, prevent harm, speak up, and create safer environments for children.
We help identify children who may be at risk of abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, or other forms of harm and connect them and their families with appropriate protection, health, psychosocial, education, and other support services through referrals
We support parents and caregivers with knowledge and practical skills that promote positive, respectful, and non-violent parenting. We encourage families to create safe and nurturing homes where children feel loved, listened to, protected, and supported.
We provide psychosocial support to help children and families cope with difficult experiences, strengthen their emotional wellbeing, and build healthy relationships. Where specialized services are needed, we support appropriate referrals.
We promote safe, respectful, and nurturing environments where children’s rights, dignity, safety, and best interests are upheld. We strengthen safeguarding awareness and responsibilities among CRS staff, volunteers, caregivers, teachers, and community members to help prevent and respond to harm
We engage refugee and host communities through community dialogues, campaigns, meetings, and other outreach activities to raise awareness about child protection concerns and encourage collective action to keep children safe.
9. Food & Non-Food Assistance
We provide essential food and non-food items to families facing difficult circumstances, helping them meet immediate needs and create a safer, more stable environment where children can grow, learn, and build a better future.
We believe that protecting children also means supporting the families and communities around them. By providing practical assistance alongside protection and support services, we help families overcome immediate challenges and create safer, more stable futures for their children.
Our Key Stakeholders and Collaborators
From our experience working closely with children and families in Dzaleka, we know that protecting children requires all of us to work together. CRS collaborates with families, community leaders, schools, local authorities, service providers, partners, and other organizations to strengthen child protection and ensure that vulnerable children receive the support they need.
| WHO WE WORK WITH & HOW WE WORK WITH THEM |
|---|
| Children & Young People We help children understand their rights, recognize protection risks, speak up, seek help, and take part in activities that support their safety and wellbeing. |
| Parents & Families We work with parents and caregivers on positive parenting, child protection, and ways to create safe, caring, and supportive homes. |
| Schools & Teachers: We work with schools and teachers to promote child rights, identify protection concerns, and create safer and more supportive learning environments. |
| Community Leaders We engage community leaders in identifying protection concerns, raising awareness, and supporting local efforts to keep children safe. |
| Refugee & Host Communities We work with both communities to identify child protection risks, raise awareness, and promote safer and more supportive environments for children. |
| Local Authorities & Service Providers We connect children and families with relevant services and work with local structures to strengthen referrals and follow-up support. |
| Community-Based Organizations & Partners We work with local organizations and community partners to extend our outreach, share knowledge, and strengthen child protection activities. |
| Humanitarian & Development Partners We collaborate with other organizations to strengthen child protection, referrals, and support for children and families who need it most. |
Our Child Protection Approach
From our work with children and families in Dzaleka, we know that protecting children requires more than responding when harm has already happened. At CRS, we focus on preventing abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, and other protection risks; identifying children at risk early; connecting children and families with appropriate support; strengthening families; engaging communities; and promoting safeguarding practices to help create safer environments where every child can grow, learn, and thrive.
| APPROACH |
|---|
| Prevention We educate children, families, schools, and communities about child rights and protection risks and how to prevent abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, and other forms of harm. |
| Early Identification We pay attention to signs that a child may be at risk and work with families, schools, and community structures to identify concerns early. |
| Referral & Support When a child or family needs additional help, we connect them with appropriate services and support and, where possible, follow up on their needs. |
| Psychosocial CareWe provide children and families with basic emotional and social support to help them cope with difficult experiences and feel supported. |
| Family Strengthening We work with parents and caregivers to promote positive parenting and help families create safer, caring, and supportive homes. |
| Community Engagement We work with community leaders, committees, families, schools, and other local structures to address protection concerns and strengthen community action. |
| Safeguarding We promote safe practices among our staff, volunteers, caregivers, and community members to help prevent harm and ensure children are treated with dignity and respect. |
Our Commitment
At CRS, we believe child protection is not only about responding when something goes wrong. It is about creating safe and supportive environments where children are listened to, their rights are respected, and they are protected from harm.
We are committed to working alongside children, families, schools, communities, and local partners to prevent abuse and other forms of harm, identify risks early, and connect children and families with the support they need. We will continue strengthening community-based protection systems so that every child, especially refugee and vulnerable children, has the opportunity to grow, learn, feel safe, and build a better future.
Every child deserves protection. Every child deserves dignity. Every child deserves a chance to thrive.
Help Us Protect More Children
Every child deserves to grow up safe, protected, and full of hope. Every day, we see children in Dzaleka who need safety, care, and someone to stand with them. With your support, CRS can reach more vulnerable children and families with the protection, care, education, and opportunities they need to feel valued, build confidence, and create a better future.
For us at CRS, child protection is about more than responding to problems. It is about standing with children and families, preventing harm, listening to children, and creating safer communities where every child can grow with dignity and hope.
We may not have all the resources to reach every child, but we will continue doing what we can with what we have to protect, support, and give vulnerable children a better chance at the future they deserve.