World Humanitarian Aid Day (August 19)

On the occasion of the World Humanitarian Aid Day, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) calls for better protection of aid workers. The human rights organization stated that it has never before been so dangerous to show commitment for the well-being of others. A total of 483 attacks on aid workers were registered worldwide in 2019. This is the highest figure since systematic recording of such attacks began in 2009. In 2016, for example, only 295 attacks were recorded. A total of 125 people died in such attacks last year. "The significant increase in violence against aid workers in various regions of the world is an alarming sign. There must be tangible measures to ensure better protection," emphasized Ulrich Delius, the STP's Director, in Göttingen on Tuesday.

Every violent incident has immediate negative effect on aid supplies for hundreds of thousands of people. "Attacks like this often cause aid organizations to withdraw from humanitarian crisis regions in order to protect their staff," said Delius. "After the withdrawal of aid workers, it is not uncommon that humanitarian aid for entire regions breaks down.

For example, the French aid organization ACTED had to stop its humanitarian work in the north of Niger in West Africa after seven employees of the non-governmental organization and a local helper were murdered by alleged Islamist extremists on August 9, 2020. There were four French women and two Frenchmen among the victims. Generally, however, it is often local helpers who become victims of violence. In 2019, for example, only 27 foreign nationals were injured in such attacks.

Recently, on July 22, 2020, radical Islamists murdered five members of an aid organization in neighboring Nigeria. So far, at the beginning of August, 204 attacks on aid workers have already been registered this year. The data is based on the Aid Worker Security Database, which registers all attacks.