— PRISM in Focus

Protection in Focus

In 2026, the Global Protection Cluster estimates 351 million people exposed to protection risks and 139 million people in need of protection, while only 51 million are targeted with protection interventions. PRISM's Protection in Focus triangulates ACAPS protection risk monitoring, the GPC's protection situation updates and 12,714 ReliefWeb updates to document protection risks.

Global Protection Cluster — published 2026 global figures.

Scroll

— The taxonomy

Fifteen risks, one shared language.

Among 37,341 protection risk events documented by ACAPS and PRISM's curated dataset, attacks on civilians accounts for 32%, followed by abduction & arbitrary detention (14%), gender-based violence (12%), discrimination & denial of access (9%), movement restrictions & siege (9%). Every event is classified against the fifteen protection risks of the Global Protection Cluster framework.

R01

Abduction & arbitrary detention

5,213 events

R02

Attacks on civilians

11,782 events

R03

Family separation

420 events

R04

Child & forced marriage

730 events

R05

Discrimination & denial of access

3,452 events

R06

Disinformation

1,121 events

R07

Child recruitment

743 events

R08

Gender-based violence

4,550 events

R09

Denial of identity & justice

358 events

R10

Mines & explosive ordnance

634 events

R11

Psychological abuse

646 events

R12

Theft, extortion & eviction

1,907 events

R13

Torture & inhuman treatment

1,194 events

R14

Trafficking & forced labour

1,348 events

R15

Movement restrictions & siege

3,243 events

ACAPS — Protection Risks Monitor; PRISM protection archive.

— The map · 111 countries

Where the record points.

This map showcases the dominant risk category and the number of documented protection risk events for each country.

ACAPS — Protection Risks Monitor; PRISM protection archive. Boundaries: Natural Earth.

— Protection severity per country

How severe, and for whom.

The Global Protection Cluster scores each protection risk in each response country on a five-band severity scale, from minimal to catastrophic. Read down a column for a country's risk profile; read across a row to see where one risk bites hardest.

Global Protection Cluster — Protection Analytical Framework.

— Need and neglect · 2026

83 million people need protection. Plans target 32 million, and the response is 50.0% funded.

Across 23 humanitarian response plans, protection asks for $2.4 billion; $1.2 billion has arrived. Most of it goes to general protection; the specialised areas of responsibility — child protection, gender-based violence, mine action, housing, land and property — divide what is left.

Counted plan by plan from OCHA's Humanitarian Programme Cycle, that is 83 million in need and 32 million targeted across the 23 plans publishing a protection caseload. The Global Protection Cluster's own global figures are higher — 139 million and 51 million — because they reach beyond those plans, and a plan that publishes no cluster-level figure adds nothing to the sum here.

OCHA — Humanitarian Programme Cycle; OCHA FTS.

— Protection funding · 2021–2026

Requirements peaked in 2023, coverage in 2024. Both have fallen since.

Protection asked for $3.1 billion in 2023 and $2.4 billion this year, while the share actually funded fell from 61% to 50.0%. The current year is still accruing.

OCHA — Humanitarian Programme Cycle; OCHA FTS.

— Capacities under pressure

The capacity to see protection risks is being cut.

The Global Protection Cluster consulted 747 partners across 22 operations. Reductions are landing at the same time on the functions that identify who is most at risk, refer them, and follow up.

69%

of partners report capacity impacts

72%

report frontline workforce loss

64%

report reduced activities

62%

report reduced geographic coverage

1

Frontline workforce is being reduced

7 in 10 partners report cuts to frontline staff, directly affecting case identification, follow-up and sustained presence in communities.

2

The services package is narrowing

6 in 10 report fewer services delivered, with 8 in 10 reporting impacts across case management, MHPSS, monitoring and community-based activities.

3

Geographic reach is shrinking

6 in 10 report reduced coverage — weaker proximity to affected populations and loss of continuity in high-risk or hard-to-reach areas.

4

The community interface is weakening

Over 7 in 10 report impacts on community-based, monitoring and awareness activities, weakening trust, early detection and responsiveness.

5

System-enabling capacities are being eroded

Around 7 in 10 report impacts on capacity strengthening, protection analysis, early warning and advocacy — the functions that let a response adapt.

In simple terms: people have fewer chances to be seen, fewer chances to speak safely, and fewer chances to receive support before harm becomes more serious.

Global Protection Cluster — Protection Capacities Under Pressure (July 2026).

— Spotlight · Palestine

Only one country has more documented protection risk events in the archive.

0

documented protection risk events since 2016

4.38/5

protection severity — extreme (GPC)

6.5/10

INFORM Risk — high risk class

2.0M

people living in internal displacement (2025)

1.2M

in acute food insecurity, phase 3+ (58% of those analysed) — IPC/CH Apr 2026 - Jun 2026

5.5M

people exposed to protection risks

Most documented risk — attacks on civilians (55% of the country's record)

One year after the October 2025 ceasefire, Gaza remains in entrenched crisis rather than stabilization, with continued insecurity, destruction, and systemic collapse of services (DRC). MSF and MAP warn that violence, blockade of essential supplies, and attacks on healthcare infrastructure persist, with hospitals still struggling to obtain medicines and fuel (MSF, MAP). Israeli authorities continue to restrict entry of "dual-use" items, including shelter materials, to just 15 trucks per week from Jordan, meaning 1.65 million people face a fourth winter in damaged buildings and worn tents (NRC).

PRISM situation briefing · generated 2026-10-06 · from the ReliefWeb record · read in full

ACAPS / PRISM protection archive; Global Protection Cluster; EC JRC INFORM Risk; IDMC GIDD; IPC/CH.

— Spotlight · Sudan

The largest displacement crisis on earth is also a protection crisis.

0

documented protection risk events since 2021

4.62/5

protection severity — catastrophic (GPC)

7.8/10

INFORM Risk — very high risk class

9.1M

people living in internal displacement (2025)

19.5M

in acute food insecurity, phase 3+ (41% of those analysed) — IPC/CH Feb 2026 - May 2026

43.8M

people exposed to protection risks

Most documented risk — attacks on civilians (49% of the country's record)

Sudan's protracted conflict continues to drive severe humanitarian deterioration, with new displacement reported in Heiban, South Kordofan, amid ongoing hostilities, and a disease outbreak recorded in the Tawila camps of North Darfur (SI). Health infrastructure remains under direct threat, with attacks on health care facilities and personnel documented across multiple contexts during August (Insecurity Insight), compounding an already fragile service environment.

PRISM situation briefing · generated 2026-09-14 · from the ReliefWeb record · read in full

ACAPS / PRISM protection archive; Global Protection Cluster; EC JRC INFORM Risk; IDMC GIDD; IPC/CH.

— Spotlight · Syria

Fourteen years of crisis, and the record is still growing.

0

documented protection risk events since 2019

3.35/5

protection severity — severe (GPC)

7.7/10

INFORM Risk — very high risk class

6.0M

people living in internal displacement (2025)

15.0M

people exposed to protection risks

Most documented risk — attacks on civilians (27% of the country's record)

Syria's protracted humanitarian crisis continues to evolve against a backdrop of persistent violence, displacement dynamics, and severe humanitarian needs. Recent security incidents include an 18 August Israeli airstrike on Abu al-Duhur airbase and ongoing competition over territorial control, reflecting the fragmented nature of the conflict (SARI Global). Violence against health care remains a critical concern, with 74 incidents documented in 2025, resulting in 22 health workers killed, 21 arrested, and ten kidnapped (Insecurity Insight, SHCC).

PRISM situation briefing · generated 2026-08-28 · from the ReliefWeb record · read in full

ACAPS / PRISM protection archive; Global Protection Cluster; EC JRC INFORM Risk; IDMC GIDD; IPC/CH.

— How PRISM watches

A record that cannot be quietly unwritten.

Source datasets serve rolling windows: what falls out of the window disappears. PRISM syncs the ACAPS Protection Risks Monitor every 12 hours into a preservation archive that only accumulates, and layers its own monitoring on top.

Preserve

Every documented event is kept beyond its source's serving window: 37,341 events back to 2014, none deleted.

Curate

PRISM analysts correct, contextualise and extend the record with PRISM-documented events, each carrying its provenance so ACAPS and PRISM entries are always distinguishable.

Verify

AI-assisted monitoring proposes candidate events from cited humanitarian sources; nothing publishes without human review. Every published row traces to a source link.

PRISM — protection monitoring methodology.

— Weekly decks

The register, one week at a time.

Each deck reads PRISM's own protection risk entries for one period and lays them out by context and by risk. New decks join the shelf as each monitoring cycle closes. Every PDF opens in a new tab.

PRISM protection risk register, PRISM-provenance entries only. Counts are read from the register at the time of viewing.

— In closing

Protection failures are documented one event at a time. Keeping that record intact, attributable and public is itself a form of protection.

Explore Country Analysis

Data sources