Child Protection

Locally Rooted Global Civil Society Organization

Terre des hommes (Tdh) Foundation, founded in 1960, is the largest Swiss children’s rights organization, working in 35 countries to protect the lives, well-being, and rights of more than 5 million children and young people. Our mission is to bring lasting change to vulnerable children and young people by improving their wellbeing and upholding their rights, while our vision is a world where children’s rights are respected, and they thrive as agents of change in safe environments. Tdh has been active in Bangladesh since 1974, catalyzing significant and lasting changes in the lives of children and young people who face poverty, deprivation, violence, and crisis situations, including multidimensional conflicts and the impacts of climate change. Since 2017, Tdh has been actively involved in responding to the Rohingya crisis and delivering emergency aid in both host and refugee communities, emphasizing WASH, child protection, health, and nutrition.

Our Approach

Contributing to the achievement of SDGs and the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, Tdh applies a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA), specifically focusing on children’s rights across all aspects of program development and implementation in line with the humanitarian-development-peace triple nexus. We believe in actively engaging children and youth to harness their potential for driving change, guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In Bangladesh, child protection is at the core of Tdh’s work as a transversal area of expertise that enables the organization to ensure rights and well-being for vulnerable children, adolescents, families, and communities, including those affected by the Rohingya refugee crisis and climate-induced displacement. Tdh works on the respect and promotion of children’s rights, always putting the best interests and protection of the child first, including in humanitarian crises. Additionally, Tdh aims to enhance local ownership and strengthen systems through multi-stakeholder engagement, complementarity, and coordination.

Our presence and the people we work with

In 2023, Tdh supported 5.2 million children and members of their communities in 35 countries through more than 230 projects. In Bangladesh Tdh primarily targets disadvantaged and marginalized children and youth, including those in slums, rural, isolated, or insecure areas, as well as children in migration, in contact with the law, or at high risk of disease and with limited access to quality primary healthcare and engages parents, caregivers, community members, professionals, and policymakers in realizing children’s rights. The organization has three field offices in Kurigram, Cox’s Bazar, and a head office in Dhaka.

Our Theory of Change

Tdh empowers children and youth at risk of or affected by violence, migration, or contact with the law to claim their rights and be protected by effective child protection systems (outcome). Tdh focuses on enhancing psychosocial resilience, family and community protection capacities, and child protection systems through three main outputs. Firstly, children and youth receive MHPSS support to build resilience and agency across five well-being pillars, ensuring meaningful child

participation (output 1). Secondly, families, communities, and institutions are trained to protect children and youth, promoting positive norms and non-violent discipline (output 2). Thirdly, Tdh develops mechanisms and services to strengthen child protection systems, ensuring quality case management and safeguarding practices (output 3). Engaging men and boys is integral to promoting children’s and women’s rights. Tdh also involves children, youth, and civil society in climate crisis debates, addressing child rights and violence prevention. Local actors, including parents, community groups, and authorities, are involved in designing, delivering, and evaluating these interventions.

Key Areas of Intervention

Sports for Protection: Tdh designed this S4P methodology jointly with UNHCR and International Olympic Committee to support actors who wish to promote the protection of vulnerable groups, such as migrants and ethnic minority groups, through sports. It provides guidance to coaches to help participants achieve self-efficacy, improve their resilience, and protect themselves and their peers. Self-efficacy, in this context, refers to one’s belief in their capacity to achieve a task or objective. Applying this methodology helps build local capacity and provides psychosocial support activities, enabling participants to better understand their context while using sports as a tool to strengthen psychosocial resilience, youth protection, participation, and community engagement.

As a result of the Tdh expertise in MHPSS and particularly in using sports and games for psychosocial outcomes, Tdh has contributed to developing the foundational technical guidance of the Olympic Refugee Foundation (ORF), a foundation based in Lausanne. Tdh is part of the MHPSS think-tank of ORF which is composed of globally renowned MHPSS and Sport and Development experts aiming at promoting and generating evidence of the use of sports in MHPSS (Collective Action | Olympic Refuge Foundation (olympics.com).

YouCreate: The goal of YouCreate is to create a space for youth affected by migration and adversity to strengthen their skills in leading arts-based activities, such as painting and drawing, that support wellbeing, resilience, and social cohesion. It follows a Participatory Action Research (PAR) process, where youth leaders act as researchers and work alongside participants. This approach helps explore the strengths and challenges in their daily lives and then plan and implement arts-based projects that address these challenges.

MHPSS and Case Management Interventions: Tdh implements MHPSS and case management interventions with the triple nexus in mind in all its geographical areas of operations. This means that in emergency situations Tdh interventions are designed with a longer-term vision aiming at sustainable results from the outset. In both humanitarian and development contexts, Tdh is recognised for its case management expertise and its ability to work with and through local partners and communities, including volunteers to provide quality case management and MHPSS services. Globally, Tdh MHPSS curricula are also directly seeking to strengthen self-esteem and reflect on roles and responsibilities and a sense of justice, which plays a major part in supporting gender, diversity, and inclusion.

Response to Climate Change: Recognising the potential negative impacts of its activities on the environment, Tdh is implementing an environmental roadmap as of mid-2023, aiming for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 in alignment with the Paris Climate Agreement. Tdh’s strategy includes adapting its programmatic response to environmental and climate crises through initiatives like Blue Schools, and Sport4Protection. From 2024, Tdh is addressing the crisis by focusing on children and youth participation, environmentally responsible actions, and raising awareness among staff, partners, and beneficiaries. Additionally, Tdh views the climate crisis as a child rights issue and has participated in drafting the CRC General Comment 26 on Children’s Rights and the Environment. From 2025-28, Tdh plans to implement GC26 in its operations and highlight climate issues at key events, continuing to advocate for child and youth involvement in these efforts.