Why More Aid Workers Are Being Killed in the Line of Duty with Abby Stoddard

Aid work can be a dangerous business. According to the latest verified data, 131 aid workers were killed in the line of duty in 2018. Many more were injured in serious attacks.  

According to my guest today, Abby Stoddard, attacks on aid workers and humanitarian relief operations are both a symptom and a weapon of modern warfare. Indeed, it is the changing nature of conflict around the world that is driving increasing levels of violence against aid workers. 

Abby Stoddard is a former aid worker and a longtime researcher. Along with her research partner Adele Harmer, Stoddard has compiled a dataset of verified attacks on aid workers around the world. Their research is compiled in the Aid Worker Security Database, which has tracked attacks on aid workers since 1997.

The data they compiled tell many stories and offer important insights into trends of conflict, which we discuss on the show today.

Abby Stoddard's new book in which much of this data is discussed and analyzed is called Necessary Risks: Professional Humanitarianism and Violence against Aid Workers.  Abby Stoddard is a partner with Humanitarian Outcomes, an international consultancy that does research and policy advising for governments and organizations on humanitarian action. 

If you have twenty minutes and want to learn how the changing nature of conflict is making humanitarian relief work more dangerous, have a listen.

7:35 Aid workers most impacted by violence

14:05 Successful humanitarian efforts

22:17 Attack in Juba as an example of recent trends

27:51 The impact on civilians trapped in the conflict 

aidworkerssecurity.org 

https://www.amazon.com/Necessary-Risks-Professional-Humanitarianism-Violence/dp/3030264106