The Protection of Civilians (PoC) program was established within PAX in 2016. The program has since expanded twice – once in 2019 and again in 2024 – with support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department for Stabilisation and Humanitarian Aid (DSH). Initially focused on research and community engagement work in Iraq and South Sudan, and advocacy and engagement with multinational institutions like the UN, EU, and NATO, the 2024 expansion has enabled the team and our partners to begin implementing additional activities in Burkina Faso, and to identify new opportunities for connecting our work at the grassroots and international levels.
The overall goal of our work is to increase the effectiveness of protection interventions and improve human security for civilians living in conflict. Doing this requires understanding whose security is at stake and how, and how this differs among different groups in society or depending on location. It also necessitates bridging the gap that often exists between those providing security or designing security interventions, and those experiencing insecurity on a daily basis and requiring protection.
“It was striking to us that most decisions about protection seemed to be made by people sitting behind a desk in other parts of the world. The simple idea that, “If you want to know what threatens people’s security, you can just ask,” resonated and led to the development of our PoC program and our Human Security Survey work.”
Hans Rouw, PoC Program Lead
We seek to achieve our goal by working with civilians to hold local and international security actors to account, and by enabling those who provide protection to design and implement strategies that are centered around civilians’ needs and priorities.
“When I started working on the Human Security Sourvey in South Sudan, I remember there was a strong sense among people in uniforms that security is their business and no one else’s. Now they know us, they know the data, they see that they can use it, and they see value in citing it. We had to invest a lot of time convincing local authorities and the security apparatus that people have a role in security and that civilians have useful ideas about how they should be protected and how they can protect themselves.”
John Malith Mabor, Senior Project Officer South Sudan
“We surprised even ourselves with how powerful our civilian perception research has been: it facilitates national conversations about security provision and accountability, and influences PoC norms in international policy spaces.”
Hans Rouw
Our team
Abdullatif Sleibi
Senior Data Analyst, Human Security Survey
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Anton Quist
Project Lead, South Sudan
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Carrie Huisman
Project Lead, Advocacy
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Erin Bijl
Project Lead, Research
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Hans Rouw
Program Lead, Protection of Civilians
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Jean de Dieu Bambara
Senior Project Officer, Burkina Faso
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John Malith Mabor
Senior Project Officer, South Sudan
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Marco Grandi
Military Specialist
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Mbiko Tanggahma
Team Assistant
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Roger Minoungou
Project Lead, Burkina Faso
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Saba Azeem
Project Lead, Iraq
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Terri Beswick
EU Political Advisor
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Thomas Kiendrebeogo
Data Analyst, Burkina Faso
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Vicky Apio
Senior Project Officer, South Sudan
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Wilbert van der Zeijden
Project Lead, Training & Advice
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Our partners
Airwars
Ashor Iraqi Foundation for Relief and Development
Iraqi Al-Amal Association
Iraqi Al-Firdaws Society
Justice and Peace Commission – Catholic Diocese of Torit
PAX is the largest peace organization in the Netherlands. We work to protect civilians against acts of war, to end armed violence, and to build inclusive peace. We work in conflict areas worldwide, together with local partners and people who, just like us, believe that everyone has a right to a dignified life in a peaceful society.
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