Our latest article ‘Towards Inclusive Security Risk Management: the impact of ‘race’, ethnicity and nationality on aid workers’ security’, by Tara Arthur and Léa Moutard is now available!
‘Race’, ethnicity and nationality have a significant impact on the security of aid workers, however, this impact has not sufficiently been explored, with conversations remaining sensitive, if not taboo. While organisations have begun to use staff profiles to better understand the risks individuals face, they often fail to act on adequately mitigating these specific risks.
Through interviews with humanitarians across a range of roles and regions, this article highlights some of the key barriers preventing organisations from fulfilling their Duty of Care towards aid workers of colour. By identifying the ways in which ‘race’, racism, ethnicity and nationality affect the security of staff and organisations, and the reasons that these risks fail to be mitigated, the article seeks to encourage further discussions, enabling security managers and aid workers to discuss, reflect and improve the security of aid workers of colour.
The article gives a number of recommendations for organisations and staff, enabling organisations to overcome these challenges and make their security risk management practices more inclusive. By creating the foundations for open, inclusive conversations on how we can keep staff safe, this article will enable humanitarians to build a better understanding of these issues and aim to more effectively mitigate the risks aid workers face.
Read the article here.