International aid work is more dangerous than ever. While attacks on aid workers declined in 2014, they remain not far below the unprecedented level of attacks the previous year, according to the Aid Worker Security Report.
The year 2013 set a new record for violence against civilian aid operations, with 251 separate attacks affecting 460 aid workers. Of those, 155 aid workers were killed, 171 were seriously wounded, and 134 were kidnapped. Overall, this represented a 66 percent increase in the number of victims from 2012. The figures remained elevated in 2014, and there’s little reason to believe that wasn’t also true last year.
There are codes to help address the results of this heightened level of violence and subsequent stress. These include the Interagency Standing Committee Guidelines on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings, Sphere Core Standards and the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability. All address the core issues and seek to move international aid organizations to action and accountability.
Read more stories on aid worker security:
► Will tech find a footing within aid worker security culture?
► Aid work in North Korea — 5 ways to stay safe and be effective
► How 3 seasoned aid workers prepare for mission in a conflict zone
► We skimmed 5 manuals to remind you of these take-anywhere security tips
About the author
Lynne Cripe
Lynne Cripe is the director of resilience services at KonTerra. She was director of employee engagement, support and communications at CARE USA and a technical adviser with USAID. She earned a B.A. in behavioral studies from The Master’s College and her Ph.D. in social ecology from the University of California, Irvine, and was a Fulbright scholar in the Philippines.
