CIC Study Documents Violence Against Aid Workers

By James Devitt

The rate of violence against aid workers around the globe is lower than previously thought, according to a new study by the Center on International Cooperation (CIC) at NYU and the Humanitarian Policy Group (HPG) of the Overseas Development Institute. The report, “Providing Aid in Insecure Environments: Trends in Policy and Operations,” may be downloaded at CIC’s Web site: www.cic.nyu.edu.

The report was researched and written by Abby Stoddard (CIC), Adele Harmer (HPG), and Katherine Haver (CIC). The authors note that a total of 947 aid workers were attacked between 1997 and 2005, and 434 lost their lives. But while violent acts against aid workers have nearly doubled since 1997, the overall rate of victims per numbers of aid workers in the field has risen only slightly worldwide and has actually fallen in the most dangerous environments.

However, the report found that, relative to their numbers in the field, local aid workers are suffering increasing casualties while international staffers are becoming safer. The study’s authors attribute this discrepancy to local aid workers being transferred increasing responsibilities for aid delivery, particularly in the most dangerous areas where international aid workers are often withdrawn or their movements restricted. This practice, known as “remote management,” allows vital operations to continue, but can reduce efficiency, accountability, and focus on strategic goals. The human cost in terms of risk to national staff, moreover, has not been sufficiently addressed or mitigated, raising serious ethical questions for aid agencies. The study’s researchers urge aid providers to examine and improve this practice. They also provide a number of policy recommendations.

In addition, the study found no significant correlations between violence against aid workers and the presence of terror cells, great power military interventions, or the use of the United Nations’ integrated mission approach whereby the political, military, and aid components of the UN mission are unified under a single strategic framework and leadership structure. (This has proven controversial among aid workers, who claim it “blurs the line” between humanitarian and political agendas.) However, the study also found that politically motivated attacks on aid workers had risen, exceeding the rise in purely economic violent crime by a factor of nine. This suggests that aid workers are increasingly associated with political agendas and interests in the minds of belligerents.

With the exception of Iraq in 2003-2004, Somalia has proven the most dangerous operational environment for aid workers over the past nine years, followed by Sudan and Afghanistan.

The study, which covers the years 1997-2005, is the most comprehensive accounting to date of major acts of violence against aid workers. In addition, it is the first analysis of acts of violence against aid workers that also considers the total number of workers in the field.

“The calculation of rates in this way allows for comparison of different contexts and time periods, and signals important trends,” said Stoddard. “This is crucial because the response of humanitarian actors to operational insecurity has up to now been driven by impressions and anecdotal evidence, with no hard data to indicate whether the situation is getting worse or better.”