Persons with psychosocial disabilities include those who have what is known in medical terms as ‘mental health conditions’, and who face significant barriers to participating in society on an equal basis with others. Persons with psychosocial disabilities may experience different thoughts, emotions and behaviour compared with other people. Rights- based language refers to psychosocial disability, in recognition of the impact of physical and social barriers, including discrimination, on equal access to opportunities for participation.

Data collected through case studies, interviews, etc. to provide description, experience and meaning.

In the humanitarian sector, quality means effectiveness (impact), efficiency (timeliness and cost of a response or service), appropriateness (taking account of rights, needs, culture, age, gender, disabilities and context), and equity (non-discrimination and equal access) of elements of a humanitarian response. It requires assessments and feedback from stakeholders on what an agency is doing well and how it can learn how to do better. It means measuring outcomes against recognised mechanisms and/or standards. See Accountability.

Data focused on numbers and statistics.

Necessary and appropriate modification and adjustments where needed to ensure children with disabilities the enjoyment of equal rights as other children. Modifications are made in consultation with the child and family. Examples include reorganizing school or work activities to facilitate access (remote work, home-based education), enabling access to support personnel (e.g. sign language interpretation in a legal process) always within the boundaries of undue or disproportionate burden. Even when accessibility is considered in service design, budget should be planned for the provision of reasonable accommodation for punctual cases. Denial of reasonable accommodation constitutes discrimination.

The process of directing a child or family to another service provider because the assistance required is beyond the expertise or scope of work of the current service provider. Community members, professionals in contact with children (teachers, police, etc.) and other humanitarian actors can direct a child or their family to social services or child protection workers in cases of suspected or actual abuse, neglect, exploitation or violence against children. Caseworkers in a case management system also make referral to request formally services from another agency (e.g. cash and voucher assistance, health care, etc.) through an established procedure and/or form.

All persons who are outside their country of origin for reasons of a well-founded fear of persecution on one of the grounds listed in the 1951 Convention or because a conflict, generalised violence or other circumstances that have seriously disturbed public order and who, as a result, require international protection.

Children’s ability to overcome the damaging effects of adversities, their adaptive capacity to find ways to realize their rights, good health, development, and well-being. More generally in humanitarian context, resilience refers to the ability of an individual, community, society or country to anticipate, withstand and recover from adversity - be it a disaster or crisis.

A way of responding to criminal behaviour which emphasises repairing the harm caused by the crime and ‘restoring’ harmony as much as possible between offender, victim/survivor and society. It mainly involves some form of mediation and conflict resolution and often results in apologies, reparation, compensation and community service.

Any form of physical or psychological abuse, harassment or assault perpetrated by a different offender to the initial victimisation. Re-victimization can also result from inadequate or non- professional handling of victims by protection or security agencies and institutions. It refers to a pattern wherein the victim of abuse and/or crime has a statistically higher tendency to be victimised again, either shortly thereafter or much later in adulthood in the case of abuse as a child. Research has shown that this pattern is particularly notable in cases of sexual victimisation.

In humanitarian action, risk is the likelihood of harm occurring from a hazard and the potential losses to lives, livelihoods, assets and services. It is the probability of external and internal threats occurring in combination with the existence of individual vulnerabilities. Risk is mitigated by protection against physical hazards, reduction of structural and non-structural risks, resources and skills for disaster- preparedness, and resilience and coping skills.

For child protection, risk refers to the likelihood that violations of and threats to children’s rights will manifest and cause harm to children. Defining risk takes into account the type of violations and threats, as well as children’s vulnerability and resilience. See Hazard.

A methodology used to review a hazard, how it may cause harm, and determine the probability of occurrence of harm and the severity of that harm. In child protection, it is used to determine the nature and extent of risk by taking into account potential hazards and existing conditions of vulnerability that together could harm children and families. Child protection risk assessments should also take account the safety and protection of the child, family and community and their capacity to resist or recover.

Interventions used by humanitarian agencies to increase children’s access to safe environments and promote their psychosocial well-being. These include for instance Child-Friendly Spaces and Women and Girls Safe Spaces.

The condition of being protected from danger, risk or injury. Refers to people's physical and personal well-being and integrity as well as to their freedom from physical, environmental, social, spiritual, political, emotional or psychological harm.

Data collected by someone other than the user.

Changes in psychological, physical or spiritual well-being experienced by practitioners over time as a result of seeing and listening to other’s distressing experiences. Practitioners may become overwhelmed by what they see and hear. Depending on the nature and degree of their exposure, witnesses may also suffer primary trauma. Secondary trauma may also affect family members and close associates of trauma victims as a result of the closeness of the relationship.

Children separated from both parents or from their previous legal or customary primary caregivers, but not necessarily from other relatives. These may, therefore, include children accompanied by other adult family members.

The biological attributes of a person, and, therefore, generally unchanging and universal. See Gender.

Actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive conditions. See Sexual violence against children.

Any act that is perpetrated against a person’s will that are based on gender norms and unequal power relationships. It encompasses threats of violence and coercion. It can be physical, emotional, psychological, or sexual in nature, and can take the form of a denial of resources or access to services. It inflicts harm on women, girls, men and boys.

Any actual or attempted abuse of position of vulnerability, differential power or trust, for sexual purposes, including, but not limited to, profiting monetarily, socially or politically from the sexual exploitation of another.

Any form of sexual activity with a child by an adult or by another child who has power over the child. Sexual violence includes both activities that involve body contact and that without body contact. Also referred to as child sexual abuse.

Rules of behaviour that are generally expected and supported in a given context. Abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence can be prevented by positive social norms or can be upheld by social norms, such as the ‘right’ of parents to hit their children. Humanitarian situations can provide opportunities to evaluate and change social norms.

Any designated representative of an organisation, including national, international and permanent or short-term employees, as well as volunteers and consultants.

A person, group or institution with interests in a project or programme.

Acts that would not be criminal if they were committed by adults but can involve arrest and detention for children. Examples include curfew violations, school truancy, running away, begging, bad or anti- social behaviour, gang association, and even simple disobedience.

A relationship that supports the child protection worker's, including caseworker’s, technical competence and practice, promotes well-being and enables effective and supportive monitoring.

Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It includes being economically viable, environmentally sound and socially just over the long term.

Something that may happen (threats) and something that has happened or is happening (violations) of children’s rights based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Children who have been separated from both parents and other relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so.

Explosive ordnance that has been primed, fused, armed, or otherwise prepared for use and used in an armed conflict. It may have been fired, dropped, launched or projected and should have exploded but failed to do so. See also Explosive ordnance and Abandoned explosive ordnance.

The design of products, environments, programmes and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. All services and facilities in humanitarian action should use universal design.

The definition of ‘urban’ varies from country to country. An urban area can be defined by one or more of the following: administrative criteria or political boundaries (e.g., area within the jurisdiction of a municipality or town committee), a threshold population size (where the minimum for an urban settlement is typically in the region of 2,000 people, although this varies globally between 200 and 50,000), population density, economic function (e.g., where a significant majority of the population is not primarily engaged in agriculture, or where there is surplus employment) or the presence of urban characteristics (e.g., paved streets, electric lighting, sewerage).

All acts that involve the intentional use of power or verbal or physical force, threatened or actual, against a child or against a group of children that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in actual or potential harm to the child or children’s safety, well-being, dignity, and development. Possible forms of harm include injury; death; disability; decreased psychological, psychosocial, or mental health; or maldevelopment.

The extent to which some people may be disproportionately affected by the disruption of their physical environment and social support mechanisms following disaster or conflict. Vulnerability is specific to each person and each situation.

For child protection, vulnerability refers to individual, family, community and societal characteristics that reduce children’s ability to withstand adverse impact from violations of and threats to their rights.

A term defined in ILO Convention No. 182. These forms of child labour must be prohibited for all people under the age of 18 years and includes the following:

• All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage, serfdom and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
• Using, procuring, or offering a child for prostitution, the production of pornography, or for pornographic performance;
• Using, procuring, or offering a child for illicit activities—in particular, for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties; and
• Work which, by its nature or because of the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals of the child.

See also Hazardous work.