Safeguarding and Protection
By Fr. Binamungu Mukasa, SJ
Safeguarding refers to the broader proactive measures and policies aimed at promoting children’s well-being and preventing harm before it occurs. It involves creating safe environments, raising awareness, and establishing clear guidelines for preventing abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Protection, on the other hand, is reactive and involves taking action to safeguard children who are already at risk or victims of harm. Protection deals with responding to cases of abuse, intervening to remove the child from dangerous situations, and providing support to ensure their safety and recovery.
Safeguarding is prevention; protection is intervention.
A program of care for orphaned and vulnerable children (such as Upendo OVC in Kangemi, Nairobi), for example, primarily falls under safeguarding, as it focuses on proactively ensuring the well-being, safety, and development of children who are at higher risk of harm due to their circumstances. Such programs aim to provide a secure environment, proper nutrition, education, emotional support, and social care to prevent abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
However, suppose the program also involves responding to specific instances of abuse or neglect. In that case, protection elements come into play, as it would address immediate risks and take steps to ensure the children’s safety and recovery.
