Save the Children works to minimize the harm children experience during and after an emergency and ensure children are protected from participating in armed forces or groups, stay together with their families and are not subject to exploitation and sexual abuse. Children in Emergencies (CPIE) is one of four priority focus areas for Save the Children’s child protection work. The strategic goal for this priority area is that that by 2015, 3.7 million children affected by armed conflict and disaster will be protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence through preventive and remedial interventions based on the Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.

The CPIE Strategy directly contributes towards the Save the Children Child Protection Breakthrough : “All children thrive in a safe family environment and no child is placed in harmful institutions”. Interventions have strong focus on family strengthening, as a means of preventing and responding to serious care and child protection issues. Within the breakthrough results framework, SC’s work contributes to four objectives that clearly articulate the priorities towards which SC’s child protection work is geared: 1. Increasing expertise, capacity and resources to prevent and respond to sexual violence against girls and boys caught up in emergencies; 2. Preventing sexual abuse through new, improved and scaled-up programmes that prevent, protect and respond to sexual violence during and after emergencies; 3. Preventing the recruitment of children in armed forces and groups through improved quality programmes that prevent their recruitment into armed forces or groups, and support their release and reintegration into families and communities; 4. Providing separated and unaccompanied children with adequate care and family tracing and reunification services, and preventative support services to children at risk of separation.

Save the Children hopes that this Strategy will bring about positive changes for millions of children by empowering them, giving them opportunities and improving their family and community environments.