UNHCR Tasks Stakeholders on Protection of IDPs against Abuse

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) yesterday called on stakeholders concerned with Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to ensure their protection from any form of abuse in their host communities.

The commission’s Head of Bauchi Sub-Office, Mr. Cesar Tshilombo, made the call in Bauchi, during the opening ceremony of three-day training on practical protection skills and legal framework governing IDPs.

Tshilombo, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the security challenge affecting Nigeria, particularly the North-east zone, had displaced thousands of people from their homes, thereby making it difficult to manage IDPs.

The UNHCR officer, who was represented by the commission’s Protection Officer in Bauchi, Mr. Herve Kuate, said due to the high number of IDPs in Nigerian communities, some of the IDPs suffered abuses and were often denied access to certain rights.

Tshilombo said the training was organised to equip stakeholders with the necessary skills on how to effectively protect IDPs under their care, from abuse.

“As stakeholders on emergency management and IDPs management, the training would provide us with the international legal framework governing IDPs issues.

“It would also educate stakeholders on key IDPs protection principles and ways to discharge responsibilities more effectively.

“This would strengthen our common goals towards providing full and effective protection to IDPs all over our area of operation and host communities.

“At the end of the training, stakeholders would get to know their respective duties better and understand how such duties complement that of others concerned with IDPs management, “he said.

Also speaking, the Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Gombe Operation Office, Alhaji Saidu Minin, thanked UNHCR for initiating the training.

Minin said the training would build the capacity of humanitarian actors in the North-east and ensure the protection of vulnerable groups.

He assured the commission of NEMA’a readiness to cooperate and collaborate with UNHCR, in order to carry out effective and timely humanitarian response in relation to the protection of IDPs in the zone.

The training was organised by UNCHR, with 35 participants’ from NEMA, State Emergency Management Agencies and Red Cross in states hosting IDPs in the North-east zone.