WASHINGTON — With the number of attacks against aid workers on the rise, the issue of security in the sector is more important than ever. But many humanitarians view the security professionals who are there to protect them as risk-averse, meddlesome ex-military workers who would rather keep them locked up in their compounds than get them out helping communities.
But this is far from true, according to Lisa Reilly, director of the European Interagency Security Forum — a network of security representatives for European humanitarian NGOs. She paints a very different picture of what it’s like to be a security risk manager in the humanitarian sector and why security can be a rewarding, but often overlooked, career option.
How to keep humanitarian workers safe while also allowing them to do their job is the subject of much discussion among aid bosses, especially in light of recent high-profile attacks, including the rape and assault of aid workers in South Sudan last year after soldiers stormed their compound.