  | Book Details Title: Necessary Risks: Professional Humanitarianism and Violence against Aid Workers |
Book DescriptionReview “In Necessary Risks, Abby Stoddard intertwines in-depth analysis on the phenomenon of aid worker violence with harrowing first-person stories of these unarmed professionals working at the frontlines of today’s complex wars. This book is essential reading for policymakers and anyone concerned with the protection of civilians in conflicts.” (Roméo A. Dallaire, Lieutenant-General (ret.), author of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda)“A deeply practical and very readable book. Stoddard explains why humanitarian aid workers are attacked and abducted, and how the whole aid system needs to change to reduce aid worker risk and increase effective coverage of people’s needs in armed conflict. An important text for every humanitarian who wants to do a better job.” (Hugo Slim, Head of Policy for the International Committee of the Red Cross, author of Humanitarian Ethics: A Guide to the Morality of Aid in War and Disaster) “Abby Stoddard’s Necessary Risks offers two critical contributions to the theory and practice of humanitarianism. The first is the careful, evidence-based analysis of the growing risks to the security and safety of aid workers. The second is a consideration of how aid agencies have responded in ways that have decreased or increased the risks―and to whom.” (Michael Barnett, Professor of International Affairs and Political Science, George Washington University, USA, author of Humanitarianism in Question: Politics, Power, Ethics) Read more From the Back Cover Attacks on humanitarian aid operations are both a symptom and a weapon of modern warfare, and as armed groups increasingly target aid workers for violence, relief operations are curtailed in places where civilians are most in need. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the challenges to humanitarian action in warzones, the risk management and negotiation strategies that hold the most promise for aid organizations, and an ethical framework from which to tackle the problem. By combining rigorous research findings with structural historical analysis and first-person accounts of armed attacks on aid workers, the author proposes a reframed ethos of humanitarian professionalism, decoupled from organizational or political interests, and centered on optimizing outcomes for the people it serves.Abby Stoddard is an international humanitarian policy analyst and former aid worker. She is a founding partner of the research group Humanitarian Outcomes, where she advises governments and international agencies on issues in humanitarian action, with a particular focus on risk and operational security for aid operations. Read more About the Author Abby Stoddard is an international humanitarian policy analyst and former aid worker. She is a founding partner of the research group Humanitarian Outcomes, where she advises governments and international agencies on issues in humanitarian action, with a particular focus on risk and operational security for aid operations. Read more Customers Review:Necessary Risks provides an overview of how humanitarian space has deteriorated over the last couple decades resulting in increased violence against aid workers. The author provides many real-life examples that demonstrate the thinking needed to mitigate the risks present in all too many humanitarian operations. This book should be considered essential reading not only for those who manage humanitarian operations but also for the staff who carry out such programs.Soundly based in research, Necessary Risks provides case studies that make clear how seemingly benign conditions could instead be fraught with danger because key risk factors are either not assessed or are overlooked. Humanitarian work is highly respected because it reflects some of mankind’s highest ideals for saving lives and addressing the suffering of people affected by natural disasters and wars. At the same time, it has also become a field with one of the highest risks of any occupation. Globally, humanitarian workers suffer a higher rate of fatalities than U.S. armed forces.If there were a time when humanitarian workers could deliver assistance while believing that their work put them “above the fray” so that they were not a target of armed fighters, those days have now passed. And yet because of the growing number of conflicts around the world, the need for humanitarian action has never been greater. This calls for a reappraisal of how humanitarian operations should be conducted. The centrality of security analysis and the mitigation of risks to humanitarian operations is no longer optional.One response to the growing risks in humanitarian operations has been to limit work to locations that are outside the conflict zones. This improves program safety but often fails to provide aid to those in greatest need. The key concern should become determining how risks can be mitigated to a level that will enable an organization’s humanitarian mission to be achieved albeit with some residual risks for staff. The many aspects of this challenge are at the heart of Necessary Risks.In over 30 years overseeing humanitarian assistance in conflicts from Southeast Asia, to the Middle East, Europe and Africa, I have witnessed the growing risks that confront humanitarian agencies. Some NGOs have risen to the challenge, but many still have not. In part this can be a question of resources and the need to keep “overhead” rates low to attract donors. But it is often still a lack of awareness about the level of risk that exists in humanitarian operations. Security threats are too frequently viewed as acceptable because they are poorly understood. Risks are taken that could have been avoided had they been understood. There is a lack of threat awareness among staff operating in the field; also lacking is an appreciation for how a critical incident can affect the reputation and financial well-being of a humanitarian organization. When staff are kidnapped, gravely injured or killed, organizations are questioned whether such incidents could have been avoided or whether, at least, the potential for such tragedies could have been mitigated. Lawsuits for negligence can be debilitating. To understand these issues, Necessary Risks provides the analysis all humanitarian managers should understand. | |
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