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Last year was the most dangerous on record for humanitarian workers, with 155 killed, 171 seriously wounded and 134 kidnapped as they attempted to help others in some of the world’s most dangerous places, new research has shown.
The study, released to mark World Humanitarian Day, also reveals that 79 aid workers have died so far this year, making the first eight months of 2014 deadlier for the humanitarian community than the whole of 2012.
The 2013 statistics, compiled by the Humanitarian Outcomes partnership, show a 66% rise in fatal attacks on the previous year, with Afghanistan – where 81 aid workers were killed – remaining the most dangerous place to operate.
Although a total of 251 separate attacks involving 460 humanitarian workers occurred in 30 countries last year, three-quarters of them took place in just five countries: Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, Pakistan and Sudan.
The world is becoming a more violent place for aid workers, as Humanitarian Outcomes noted in their 2013 aid worker security report: “The number of victims relative to the estimated total number of aid workers (the attack rate) continues to rise.”
As in previous years, roads proved the most perilous settings, with more than half of all violent incidents involving ambushes or roadside attacks.
Though shootings and kidnappings are still the most prevalent forms of violence, attacks involving explosives are on the increase, nearly doubling between 2012 and 2013. Over the course of the year, there were 18 incidents of aerial bombardment and rocket-propelled grenade strikes; four suicide bombings; eight roadside and eight vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attacks; and six landmine detonations.
World Humanitarian Day – which marks the anniversary of the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad in 2003 when 22 people died – is intended to highlight the plight of aid workers.
Baroness Valerie Amos, the UN under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the day offered an opportunity to reflect on the sacrifices aid workers make.
“One aid worker killed in the line of duty is one too many,” she said. “Nurses, engineers, logisticians and drivers, for example, all take great risk doing their work in sometimes extremely dangerous and difficult circumstances.”
Mahmoud Deeb Daher, head of the World Health Organisation’s Gaza office, said: “We need more humanity, and today is a day that reminds me of why I do what I do: to alleviate suffering, and allow people to live in peace.”
Others are calling on the international community to use Tuesday’s commemorative events around the world as a spur to finding political solutions to the conflicts in South Sudan, Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.
The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) said increased humanitarian aid spending by government donors – which has risen by nearly 75% over the past decade – has left aid workers bearing the brunt of the danger.
“Aid agencies, funded by and spurred on by government donors, have pushed on further and further into the frontlines of conflicts, where the needs are greatest, but this exposes them and their staff to an increasing level of violence,” said Sara Pantuliano, director of the humanitarian policy group at the ODI.
“As body bags of aid workers pile up, this memorial reminds us of the pressing urgency to find lasting solutions. More and more, humanitarians are filling the void left by political inaction and are paying the price with their lives.”
Barbara Jackson, humanitarian director for Care International, said both the bravery and neutrality of aid workers needed to be remembered and respected.
“Humanitarians continue to be relied upon to provide crucial life-saving aid amidst extremely difficult and stressful circumstances,” she said. “The risks these people face are substantial: death, injuries, kidnapping. It’s absolutely essential that all parties respect the impartiality of aid workers so we can continue to help those most in need.”
The UN estimates humanitarian organisations require $17.3bn (£12.8bn) to meet the needs of the 108 million people who need their help around the world. This year’s commemorations, which include a memorial service at Westminster Abbey in London, are intended to focus attention on the humanitarian efforts in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Haiti, Iraq, Burma, South Sudan and Syria.
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