Disasters and humanitarian crises happen when they are least expected

POST 1

Disasters and humanitarian crises happen when they are least expected and therefore cause emergencies that aid workers and agencies have to respond to. In many cases, apart from the main issue at hand, another main problem is usually the issue of security. Security presents essential challenges that affect the way people get help, and whether rescue and other humanitarian operations are possible. Therefore, agencies must ensure that there are strategies in place when responding to disasters that will protect the security of the victims, the responders, and the materials brought as part of the response.

Security affects the willingness of aid workers to participate in humanitarian recovery response. The safety of the volunteers and the employees of the groups that offer help is essential. People want to feel safe even though they sacrifice to deliver their services. Also, security affects the accessibility of the donations and other materials to the affected people (Binder, 2015). During humanitarian crises and disasters, people need help to access things such as clean water, food, and shelter. In war zones, the security of the materials that the people need is usually challenged by the fact that the surroundings are volatile. Attacks can happen anywhere on the road or in the plans during the delivery of help to the people who need them. Attacks on the packages that contain assistance lead to people from getting access to the help they need. Therefore, it is crucial to assess the security situation of the route that is to be used and the destination of the donations and other materials required to sustain life in places that have experienced disasters.

Response and recovery are affected in several ways by security concerns that affect the processes. First, security affects the speed of retrieval to disasters. In places whose safety is not guaranteed, organizations have to weigh in to know how to protect the volunteers and employees (Cruz-Milán et al., 2016). For instance, if the shortest route is not safe, the response team may have to use longer routes to reach their destination. Security concerns may also affect the amount of help received. The amount of aid received by the affected population includes both in terms of personnel and goods. Attacks may lead to products such as food and drugs being destroyed on the way or stolen by bandits and, therefore, not reaching the destination. In some cases, the security personnel may have to fight off attackers, and therefore in the process, lives and goods may be lost (Emmanuelar, 2015). The moral of the people is also usually affected when they are not sure whether or not they will be safe.

In conclusion, security is a critical aspect of disaster response. People in the response team need to feel relatively protected to be motivated to deliver help. Also, the security of goods, such as food and medicine, may be affected. Security may also affect the speed of the delivery of services as well as efficiency. Therefore, organizations must seek safety and create security strategies before attempting to deliver humanitarian help.

References

Binder, M. (2015). Paths to intervention: What explains the UN’s selective response to humanitarian crises?. Journal of Peace Research, 52(6), 712-726.

Cruz-Milán, O., Simpson, J. J., Simpson, P. M., & Choi, W. (2016). Reassurance or reason for concern: Security forces as a crisis management strategy. Tourism Management, 56, 114-125.

Emmanuelar, I. (2015). Insurgency and humanitarian crises in Northern Nigeria: The case of Boko

Haram. Academic Journals: African Journal of Political Science and International Relations, 9(7), 284-296.

POST 2

Humanitarian response and recovery teams face a lot of hardships when they go to the sites of disasters, regardless of whether the disasters are human-made or caused by nature. Humanitarian workers face dangers such as infectious diseases, sunburns, exhaustion, and harsh conditions in general, but they also face serious threats that come from agents of crime in vulnerable areas. There may be terrorist groups, or the affected area may be in the middle of internal conflict or a war between different nations. In these cases, humanitarian workers are exposed to killings, kidnapping, rapes, and assaults.

In the past few decades, the protection of the aid industry has decreased, while the volatility and variety of dangers have increased, which puts vulnerable areas in an awkward position. The perceived risk of humanitarian work has increased, but despite this, humanitarian missions have become more resilient, persisting even when workers are killed by terrorists (Duffield, 2012). This means that humanitarian workers are facing more danger but are doing more work now than in past decades. However, this also entails that humanitarian action is more difficult because workers have to try to avoid being attacked while at the same time doing their job. They receive protection in some places, but in other areas, they cannot count on guards or military to escort them and provide security for them.

Another security issue besides the risks suffered by aid workers in underdeveloped countries is the relationship between refugee intake and the risk of terrorism prevalence in the area. Refugee camps are given resources that can attract terrorist groups that want to loot and take those resources for their benefit. This puts refugees and aid workers in more danger (Choi & Salehyan, 2013). Security, therefore, has to play an essential role in disaster and humanitarian response, in a world where conflict-related disasters are commonplace. Humanitarian workers face the fact that they have to risk their integrity in order to do their job, and they continue to do so.

Security concerns and issues have a significant impact on humanitarian and disaster response and recovery. In the response phase, help has trouble reaching the disaster site and the victims on time because criminal groups are in the way. Sometimes, aid cannot reach the victims at all because criminals abduct them before they can even start working. In the recovery phase, crime and conflict also hinder humanitarian efforts of recovery by looting, stealing, and hurting survivors and humanitarian workers.

Every disaster and humanitarian situation is unique. Some of them will be more dangerous than others, and in some cases, it is better not to send aid, as when there is a substantial probability that support will not reach the destination or workers will be harmed or killed. Institutions such as the UN have to be responsible when they send aid to dangerous places, and they have to be prepared to rescue their workers in case they are abducted.

References:

Choi, S.-W., & Salehyan, I. (2013). No good deed goes unpunished: Refugees, humanitarian aid, and terrorism. Conflict Management and Peace Science, 30(1), 53–75. doi: 10.1177/0738894212456951

Duffield, M. (2012). Challenging environments: Danger, resilience and the aid industry. Security Dialogue, 43(5), 475–492. doi: 10.1177/0967010612457975