See the post below about 4 local aid workers being killed in Pakistan. Apparently Pakistan is one of the most dangerous places for humanitarian aid workers. The workers most at risk? Local hires.
2008 was deadliest year for aid workers: study
* Aid work now more dangerous than UN peacekeeping
* Overall number of aid workers killed has risen fourfold in 10 years
* Locals, not foreigners, most at risk of kidnapping, murder
* Pakistan among most dangerous places of employment for aid workers
LONDON:
Soaring violence in Somalia and Afghanistan helped make 2008 the most
dangerous year on record for aid workers, with 122 killed while
carrying out their work, a report showed on Monday.
Aid work is
now more risky than UN peacekeeping as attacks become increasingly
politically motivated in some countries, researchers said. There has
also been a dramatic increase in kidnappings over the past three years.
Altogether, 260 humanitarian workers were attacked in 155 serious
incidents in 2008 - compared with 27 incidents in 1998, according to
figures compiled by the Centre on International Cooperation (CIC) in
New York and the Overseas Development Institute in London.
“We
were surprised,” said CIC fellow Abby Stoddard, who co-wrote the
report. “We did not expect the jump in the past three years that we
saw. There seems to be an alarming trend. It’s a very dangerous
profession indeed and I don’t think that’s understood as much as maybe
it should be. The numbers are quite startling and certainly the
fatality rate exceeds that of UN peacekeepers.”
Most of the
violence is being driven by three countries - Somalia, where 45 aid
workers were killed, up from seven in 2007; Afghanistan with 33 deaths;
and Sudan with 19.
Kidnappings: The overall number of aid
workers killed has soared nearly fourfold in the past decade, according
to the CIC and ODI, which have been measuring violence against aid
operations since 1997. Relief workers say this is partly because the
aid sector has grown, but also because they are increasingly seen as
political actors. In 2008, politically driven attacks accounted for
around half the incidents where the motive was known, according to the
CIC/ODI report, “Providing Aid in Insecure Environments”. It said aid
workers were targeted not just because they were perceived to be
cooperating with Western political actors, but because they were seen
as part of a Western agenda.
Eighteen international staff were
killed in 2008, more than double the previous year. And of the 62
kidnappings in 2008, 18 were of international staff, who command higher
ransoms and make for a stronger political statement.
Locals:
Although deaths of expatriates make the headlines, the vast majority of
victims are locals — 104 national staff was killed in 2008, up from 71
in 2007. Nationals are more exposed because they are more likely to
work in the field. Stoddard said aid agencies had made some progress in
improving security but urged them to do more to protect local staff and
partners..
Most dangerous: Humanitarian workers came under
attack in 25 countries last year. The other most dangerous places
included Pakistan, where five aid workers were killed, Democratic
Republic of Congo, with a death toll of four, and Sri Lanka, Chad and
Mozambique, which saw three deaths each. Aid workers told Reuters they
feared 2009 would prove as bad if not worse.
Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\04\07\story_7-4-2009_pg7_47
