Red Cross manager sees uptick in attacks on aid workers
The year 2017 saw a troubling increase in dangers posed to humanitarian and aid workers, according to one of the senior managers of the Canadian Red Cross. Chiran Livera, the senior operations manager of the Canadian Red Cross, told a gathering of UNBC students on Friday that a recent trend in the world of relief work has been an increase in danger for staff.
The dangers have occurred largely in the Red Cross’ operations in areas affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts.
“Over the last number of years, we have seen an alarming increase in aid workers being harmed, attacked or even killed sometimes,” Livera said.
“This, for us, is not acceptable.” Livera, who also worked in the region during last summer’s wildfires, visited UNBC as part of the university’s global speaker series.
Livera said the increase in dangers posed to humanitarian workers has been due to a number of factors.
One reason has been a recent decision by the Canadian Red Cross, which has relatively high resources amongst international aid organizations, to work in more remote, difficult to access areas in crisis zones.
However, in regions that are in the midst of armed conflicts, the CRC has also found that there has been an erosion of respect for international humanitarian law.
The CRC and its international partner, the International Committee of the Red Cross have put significant efforts over the last century into maintaining neutrality in areas affected by armed conflict. However, the recent growth of guerrilla or non-state armed organizations has complicated regional conflicts and wars throughout the world, from Latin America to Central Asia. The reputation that the Red Cross has developed of being a neutral player in these regions has begun to be ignored.
Livera noted the example of medical clinics in Pakistan, which bear the emblem of the Red Cross.
“In places like Pakistan, what we’re seeing is those buildings are being attacked. The reason that those buildings are being attacked is because there’s a perception that those buildings are housing certain political groups. Which may or may not be the case, but regardless of that, those buildings are protected,” Livera said.
Livera noted that over 50 international and local Red Cross staff have been killed in Syria since 2012.
Despite these hardships, Livera said the CRC, which receives most of its funding from individual and private donations, has seen a steady degree of support from everyday Canadians.
He said the CRC often chooses which humanitarian emergencies to focus upon based on the expertise available within the organization, as well as the likelihood that these situations will resonate in Canada.
More recently, the organization’s appeals for aid in relation to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has generated significant fundraising success.
“There’s a lot of considerations going into launching an appeal. But the ones that we do launch, including the Bangladesh one, we have seen the generosity of Canadians supporting them,” he said.
We have not seen donor fatigue or anything like that.”