The Duty to be Caring
In this op-ed, Steve Ryan discusses how individual NGO staff members can better support colleagues and in doing so, contribute to better orgnaisational security risk management culture.
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In this op-ed, Steve Ryan discusses how individual NGO staff members can better support colleagues and in doing so, contribute to better orgnaisational security risk management culture.
This policy brief (2016) asserts that the scale and severity of human suffering in current armed conflicts represent a distressing race to the bottom in disregard for the basic rules regulating armed conflict. Civilian deaths and injuries resulting from explosive…
It is not breaking news that aid workers are frequently subjected to high levels of stress and pressure. Whether we acknowledge it or not, working in conflict zones, assisting during natural or manmade disasters and in-person or vicarious exposure to the effects of extreme poverty all make their mark. Whilst human resource teams are commonly charged with the management of employee health and wellbeing programmes, discussions during the GISF Forum in Berlin last September emphasised the link between staff wellbeing and good risk management practice. Security managers continuously strive to help staff deliver programmes in physical safety; how can we better mitigate the psychological impact of the work that we do?
This toolkit (2015) is intended to contribute to an increased understanding of the connection between counterterrorism measures and humanitarian action and highlight steps that humanitarian organisations can take and are taking to address some of the main challenges and risks…
In a globalised world in which everyone is more and more mobile, employment law necessarily plays an important role. Some claim rights, others insist on obligations, each knowing they will have to find a way to work together and, from…
At least sixteen hospitals were bombed in Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen over the past few weeks. Powerful nations carried out the aerial bombing campaigns that damaged infrastructure and killed humanitarian staff and civilians. However, the circumstances are usually disputed. Perhaps it is time the humanitarian community installed black boxes to record such events? This article presents a device that records forensic evidence of what happened where, when and who did it. It is a call to the humanitarian community to take part in generating the evidence that will force states to take their responsibilities in protecting humanitarian work seriously.
Humanitarian response evaluations habitually find gender-based harassment to be a problem, with measures to prevent and respond to incidents proving inadequate. Subsequent rhetoric often fails to translate into reality and harassment continues on a day-to-day basis, both for civilians and aid workers. This article is largely centred on sexual violence against humanitarian workers, exploring the pervasive issue and potential responses.
This report summarises a one-day workshop, hosted by the Charity Commission in 2015, centred on duties and regulatory expectations when working in high-risk environments. The workshop, convened in partnership with the Muslim Charities Forum, produced an open and wide-ranging discussion…
An ever-changing world means challenges to traveller safety that range from extreme weather conditions to civil unrest and terrorism. This document is intended to be a call to action – a risk policy is a must for any organisation that…
Humanitarian action has never before reached so many people in so many places. Humanitarians around the world are undertaking extraordinary work. However, the system is under strain. Funding cannot keep pace with growing needs as conflict, insecurity and displacement have…