On-the-ground training and strong in-house security policies help to ward off attacks against aid workers, according to several security directors and specialists consulted by Devex.
U.S. courts have also stepped in, forcing humanitarian groups to ramp up their internal security controls in light of kidnappings and deaths of their staff. However, the experts admitted that in many remote and dangerous places, it's simply impossible to plan and prevent all attacks.
Here are five pieces of advice and tips the experts we spoke to passed along as good starting points for talking about security for humanitarians working in the danger zone:
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About the authors
Derek Kravitz
Derek Kravitz is a research scholar at New York’s Columbia University, working on a forthcoming book project about the Afghanistan war. In the past, Kravitz worked for The Associated Press and The Washington Post in Washington, D.C., and now in New York he’s a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and TheNewYorker.com. Kravitz is a former fellow at Columbia University's Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.
Colm O'Molloy
Colm O'Molloy is a multi-platform journalist based in Washington D.C., where where he reports on North American stories for BBC News and other outlets. He has extensive experience of working in conflict zones, including Nigeria and Afghanistan. O'Molloy conducted extensive research into global kidnap and ransom trends as a fellow at Columbia University's Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism.
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