Discrimination based on gender, including in national legal frameworks, continues to have a serious effect on the rights and protection of women. Ongoing conflict, insecurity and displacement continue to put people, particularly women and girls, at increased risk of GBV, which is exacerbated by collapsing infrastructure and a lack of adequate protection systems and services. Mental health remains a neglected need with limited available services and a growing need for structured psychosocial support, particularly in light of the prolonged effect of COVID-related confinement measures on women and children.

The Libyan economy has been struck by a triple shock: a protracted conflict that stifles economic activity; a blockade of oil fields that has largely closed off the country’s main revenue stream; and rising domestic food and fuel prices influenced by global and local impacts of COVID-19. Coupled with damaged and deteriorating public infrastructure and service delivery this has eroded people’s livelihoods and coping capacities. As a result, in 2020, an increasing number of people across the country have taken to the streets, protesting their deteriorating living conditions and expressing their anger over government mismanagement and corruption.

Weak governance has resulted in public institutions and facilities suffering from limited qualified personnel, resources and inadequate upkeep. This has been exacerbated by regular attacks by armed groups, particularly against electricity and water infrastructure, as well as on hospitals and schools. Regular electricity and water cuts, particularly during the summer months were reported in most parts of the country. Without a resolution of the conflict and immediate investment, services can be expected to deteriorate further.

The lack of ability of public services to provide for the population is exemplified by the near collapse of the health system. The country has struggled to cope with rising COVID-19 cases, with persistent shortages in COVID-19 testing capabilities and supplies, inadequate health care facilities and contact tracing. Health staff continue to contract COVID-19, highlighting the risk to health staff due to insufficient personal protective equipment and lack of training in infection prevention and control procedures. Normal health services have also suffered as the limited health facilities have focused on addressing the pandemic. Childhood vaccinations programmes were disrupted in 2020 for two months, putting at risk more than 250,000 children. With a weak disease surveillance system, the risk of a disease outbreak in Libya is an ever-present threat.

Of the 460,000 people estimated to face protection risks and rights violations and in need of assistance, general protection partners will target 117,000 people. This includes 25,000 displaced, 5,000 returnees, 10,000 non-displaced, 33,000 migrants and 44,000 refugees. Of the total, 21 per cent are women, 14 per cent are girls and 17 per are boys. Protection partners will prioritize response in 16 of the 22 mantikas.

The Protection Sector will continue its priority focus on strengthened protection and promotion of rights of the five population groups with consideration of the impact of COVID-19 both on the protection environment and the partners’ ways of working. While considering inter-sectionality of vulnerabilities, of particular concern will be refugees and migrants at risk of human rights violations, newly displaced people, returnees, popula-tions exposed to protection risks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and populations exposed to protection risks, the magnitude of which are difficult to capture due to lack of reliable data, such as persons at risk of state-lessness or at risk of abuse at the hands of smuggling and trafficking networks.

Through a rights-based approach, Protection Sector partners will be responding directly to rights violations and protection concerns identified through monitoring and needs assessments and intersectoral referrals providing individual protection assistance, MHPSS, legal counseling and legal aid and other targeted assis-tance. Integrated protection response will be aimed at mitigating secondary protection risks and at supporting socio-economic reintegration of survivors of rights violations and persons at heightened risk of such.