Introduction
Verbal communication is one of the core ways humanitarian workers work with children, their families, community members, government officials, and others who protect children in humanitarian crises. However, terminology used by staff to describe risks that children face, actions to mitigate those risks, and available services are not always contextualized to the appropriate language and concepts of affected people.
The importance of language and terminology cannot be underestimated.
- It can affect the way we communicate with and are understood by one another,
- it can lead to un-intended power dynamics, exclusion of certain groups,
- can create a perceived sense of disrespect, and
- can lead to the design of interventions that undermine existing protective practices in communities.
The following list of common Community Based Child Protection (CBCP) - related terms and their definitions - is intended to show the evolving definitions around CBCP.
These definitions were collected through a systematic review of over 234 documents (both published and grey literature). They provide an orientation from which new ways of talking about work with communities can emerge.
This is a “living” reference document that will be continuously updated as the Interagency Community Based Child Protection Task Force outlines new “ways of working” in collaboration with communities, civil society, National NGOs and government actors throughout 2018-2020. Our hope is that this terminology reference document will contribute to more sustainable and meaningful partnerships with communities to create safer environments for children in emergencies.
