Title: Guidance Note: Protecting Vulnerable Religious Minorities in Conflicts and Crisis Settings

Authors: Rebecca Shah, Timothy Shah, Nathan Berkeley, Jeremy Barker, and Samuel Basden

About: The world is experiencing an extraordinary era of humanitarian crises, generating massive numbers of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs). In this context, many vulnerable religious minorities face discrimination and restrictions in their places of origin, which civil war and other social and political dynamics can seriously exacerbate. This is particularly evident where religious minorities remain within the borders of their own countries.

Religious identity itself often makes minority communities targets of violence and abuse during crises, which may compel them to flee conflict and persecution rather than to seek humanitarian assistance. The intersection between the chaos of crisis and religious minority status dramatically increases vulnerability. Yet assistance providers, to date, have often been slow to recognise religion as a significant factor in assessing vulnerability and humanitarian need.

This guidance note supports efforts by the United Kingdom, Department for International Development (DFID) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), as well as the United States Department of State, to consider the situation of religious minorities in crisis and conflict settings through a Wilton Park conference, convened in November 2018.

Publication Date: January 2020

Recommended Citation: Shah, Rebecca, Timothy Shah, Nathan Berkeley, Jeremy Barker, and Samuel Basden. “Guidance Note: Protecting Vulnerable Religious Minorities in Conflict and Crisis Settings.” Religious Freedom Institute, 2020.

DOWNLOAD THE REPORT