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Humanitarian Child Protection Courses

Humanitarian child protection means working to prevent the exploitation, abuse, neglect or violence against children affected by disasters or conflict. Children are especially vulnerable when impacted by humanitarian emergencies and child protection actors work to strengthen networks of protection through family, community, environment and support. Humanitarian child protection aims to reduce the negative effects of crises on children, reducing trauma, building resilience and saving lives.

Courses in humanitarian child protection introduce the main concepts of assisting children during humanitarian emergencies, as well as covering the key tools, resources, methods and theories of protection. These courses are ideal for current humanitarian workers who need to increase their understanding of child protection, as well as for those looking to begin a career in humanitarian child protection. Covering a range of different child protection scenarios, the below courses detail the key fundamentals of humanitarian child protection.

Children’s Human Rights: An Interdisciplinary Introduction – Universite de Geneve

This course covers the theory, development and impact of specific human rights for children. Drawing on legal, historical and sociological approaches, the course introduces students to the evolution of children’s human rights, as well as the ongoing challenges faced. The courses interdisciplinary approach also brings in educational, scientific and anthropological theory to give the student a broad context of child rights. The course also covers successful international programmes and strategies to protect children’s human right.

The online course has seven modules taught over four weeks. Ideal as a refresher for those with a background in child protection, as well as for those with no previous experience in children’s rights. The course is designed as an introduction but also provides additional resources for those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of children’s human rights. Upon completion of the activities and final assessment, students can receive a certificate signed by the academic instructors.

Resilience in Children Exposed to Trauma, Disaster and War: Global Perspectives – University of Minnesota

Millions of children worldwide are affected by disaster and conflict. Ensuring children are able to overcome these experiences and develop further in life is a crucial foundation in humanitarian child protection. On this course, students cover how trauma affects children and the coping mechanisms they depend on during crises. Participants also gain an insight into the key concepts, research methodologies and lesson learnt in childhood resilience. The course connects participants with practitioners around the world working in child protection and allows them to develop first-hand knowledge of how children cope with trauma and crises.

The course takes approximately 20 hours to complete and is suggested to be spread over six weeks. Free to take online, the students can also pay a small charge to receive a certificate of completion attesting to their qualification in and knowledge of childhood resilience and trauma. Covering six modules and containing over 50 video lessons, the course also provides reading materials and quizzes to test students’ knowledge. The course is in English, but subtitles are available in Arabic, French, Portuguese (Brazilian), Italian, Vietnamese, Korean, German, Russian, Turkish, Spanish, Chinese and Hungarian.

Introduction to Child Protection – UNICEF

UNICEF’s Introduction Child Protection course is available for free on the Humanitarian Leadership Academy’s online learning portal Kaya. The course explains the ways children are exposed to violence, exploitation and abuse during crises as well as the risk children face in humanitarian emergencies. The course explains UNICEF’s methods of children protection and how it is fundamental to UNICEF’s work. The free online course also shows how a child protection programme should be ran and what results should be expected. UNICEF is the leading UN agency for children and this foundation course allows everyone to get an overview of how UNICEF defines and programmes for child protection.

The course is self-directed online and should take around 30 minutes to complete. The course is made up of a single self-paced animated module which includes a number of examples and activities. The modules include an introduction, why child protection is important and UNICEF’s approach to child protection. There are also modules on building an evidence base, what child protection programming looks like and a quiz at the end. Upon completion of the course students receive a certificate that can be downloaded and printed allowing them to provide evidence to employers of their child protection qualification.

Child Protection: Children’s Rights in Theory and Practice – Harvard University

Harvard University provides an online course in child protection that covers both children’s rights in theory and practice. The course teaches the background and impact of child rights and their failures, especially focusing on children affected by disasters, conflict, forced migration or child labour. Led by academics from Harvard University’s Centre for Health and Human Rights, course participants will learn the programme strategies, international laws, global standards and practical resources needed to protect children. Upon completing the course, students will have gained a knowledge of child rights frameworks, as well as linking how policymakers, medical staff, educators and law enforcement all have a role in child protection.

The course takes 16 weeks to complete with 2 to 6 study hours a week. The course is self-directed, allowing students to study at their own pace. It is free to take online but participants can pay a small fee for a certificate showing their qualification in child protection and child rights. The course is aimed as an introduction to child protection and so no background or prior knowledge is needed. The course can also be a refresher for current child protection and child rights practitioners on the theory and practice of their field. The course is led by Jacqueline Bhabh, Professor of the Practice of Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.