* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Last week something both mundane and amazing happened. Thirty volunteer first aiders completed their paramedic training. Why amazing? Because these young people live in Syria. They have seen their fellow Red Crescent workers injured, held against their will – and more than 50 volunteers have been killed.
Despite the dangers, young people in conflict zones around the world continue to volunteer to help their communities. Some of them suspend their careers, or try to study while they await the next call to drive an ambulance or hand out food. All of them have been affected by conflict – losing their homes, their friends, or family members – and in doing this work they risk injury, harassment, and perhaps even death.
World Humanitarian Day (19 August) was created to celebrate those who dedicate so much of their lives to help others. Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers are often the only volunteers who can reach communities across frontlines in a conflict. These are the people who will drive the ambulance where others can’t, who will carry a patient across rubble when it’s not safe or possible for vehicles to get in, or negotiate access for medical teams and equipment.
Every day around the world, these volunteers perform heroic acts to little or no fanfare. More worrying than the lack of recognition is the lack of concern or media coverage each time another aid worker is killed.
In the early days of Syria’s conflict, there was widespread condemnation of the killing of Dr Jbeiro, secretary general of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and head of the local Idlib branch. Fast forward four years and now we see more direct attacks on aid workers and much less shock or solidarity.
In Yemen, four Red Crescent aid workers have lost their lives in the last six months. In South Sudan, a local Red Cross office was recently attacked and looted. In Central African Republic an ambulance worker was killed in the crossfire while evacuating casualties. Teams responding to the Ebola outbreak in Guinea have experienced attacks on their homes, vehicles and direct violence while undertaking their work.
These are some of the most recent incidents from memory – how many enter public consciousness, are deemed worthy of a few column inches? When and why did we start to normalise attacks on aid workers?
According to a recent report (https://aidworkersecurity.org/sites/default/files/HO_AidWorkerSectyPreview_V1.pdf), last year 329 aid workers were attacked, 120 killed, 88 wounded and 121 abducted. While the numbers of attacks have decreased slightly from 2013 – which saw the highest level of violence – the numbers are still shockingly high. They are only less because agencies now find it more difficult to work in some high risk areas.
This is unacceptable. Those who stay to help their communities when others flee, who act upon the humanitarian imperative – the right to receive and to give humanitarian assistance – must not be seen as ‘fair game’ in conflict.
The Red Cross Red Crescent will continue to talk to all sides in conflict zones to reach people in need. We will reiterate that our volunteers are neutral, impartial, and must be allowed to do their work without being subject to harassment or danger.
We call on all those involved in conflicts around the world to respect and protect our volunteers. We also call upon the media and the public to stand in solidarity with those unsung heroes who are again today and every day risking their lives to save the lives of others.
For more details on World Humanitarian Day go to www.ifrc.org/whd and http://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/. Messages of solidarity and stories of aid workers who inspire others are being shared with the hashtag #sharehumanity.
To support the British Red Cross appeals for Syria, Yemen and South Sudan go to www.redcross.org.uk
