Archive:
Existing security risk management tools and procedures tend to overlook the unique security needs of lone aid workers. These staff members are compelled by their unique circumstances to rely primarily on themselves to ensure their own safety and security, and must do so by putting in place a number of basic security measures to mitigate the risk and impact of potential security incidents. This blog has been published in English and in Spanish.
The 2015 annual report from the Security Unit of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). This report contains four sections: Section I: Global Statistics – humanitarian security Major attacks against humanitarian workers Red Cross and Red…
As humanitarian actors increasingly operate in situations of internal armed conflict, the importance of negotiating with armed non-state actors (ANSAs) to ensure access has come to the forefront. Yet humanitarians on the ground and the broader international humanitarian community often…
Violent acts that directly affect the delivery of health care range from indiscriminate violence, to direct attacks against health workers, obstruction and discrimination, as well as damage to health facilities and vehicles. Although violence affects health care in all countries,…
The first ever World Humanitarian Summit is being held later this month in Turkey. It is being billed as a global call to action; an opportunity to change the landscape of humanitarian action and to address some of the most critical issues of our time. It is providing a platform to focus on global humanitarian needs and how we can do better for the people caught up in the numerous crises affecting the world today and in the future. It can safely be said that there are very mixed expectations regarding the outcomes, however the hope is that changes that translate into more effective humanitarian assistance will be seen as a result. The Summit presents an opportunity to continue to highlight and raise the profile of the issue of aid worker safety, security and wellbeing; reinforcing the message that if you want to deliver effective humanitarian assistance you need a competent and fit workforce, well equipped to cope with the demanding conditions they will be working under.
This InterHealth/People in Aid report written by Benjamin Porter and Ben Emmens (2009) argues that staff care across the humanitarian and development sector remains inconsistent and diverse. This is largely due to the various operational models and contexts that INGOs…
The effectiveness of humanitarian action hinges on access: access by humanitarian practitioners to people in need, or by people in need to essential goods and services. New technological advances that have emerged or become more widely available in the past few years…
It is not breaking news that aid workers are frequently subjected to high levels of stress and pressure. Whether we acknowledge it or not, working in conflict zones, assisting during natural or manmade disasters and in-person or vicarious exposure to the effects of extreme poverty all make their mark. Whilst human resource teams are commonly charged with the management of employee health and wellbeing programmes, discussions during the GISF Forum in Berlin last September emphasised the link between staff wellbeing and good risk management practice. Security managers continuously strive to help staff deliver programmes in physical safety; how can we better mitigate the psychological impact of the work that we do?
This Insecurity Insight report documents and examines threats and incidents of violence affecting the delivery of humanitarian assistance, detailing trends over the first half of 2015 in both open-source and agency-reported data. As compared to last quarter, this edition contains more…
Humanitarian response evaluations habitually find gender-based harassment to be a problem, with measures to prevent and respond to incidents proving inadequate. Subsequent rhetoric often fails to translate into reality and harassment continues on a day-to-day basis, both for civilians and aid workers. This article is largely centred on sexual violence against humanitarian workers, exploring the pervasive issue and potential responses.