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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 December 2016
Working in the humanitarian sector as an aid worker has become a dangerous endeavour, with attacks against humanitarian workers becoming more common. In this personal story by a former head of office at an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) surgical hospital, a short, violent encounter leads to a long journey of recovery. There is an important role for the community in supporting the healing process; the author suggests that an integral and collaborative involvement by organizations like the ICRC is effective in addressing the impact of violence directed towards humanitarian aid workers.
1 There were also several local staff members in the compound that night, but when they encountered the attackers, they were told to stay away and that the attack was exclusively directed at the expatriate workers.
2 There are many different definitions of trauma. This one is from the American Psychological Association website, available at: www.apa.org/topics/trauma/ (all internet references were accessed in November 2016).
3 Herman, Judith, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Basic Books, New York, 1992, p. 214Google Scholar.
4 For more information, see “Symptoms of PTSD”, Anxiety and Depression Association of America, available at: www.adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/posttraumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/symptoms.
5 Editor's note: The Henry Dunant Medal is the highest award given by the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It is presented every two years by the Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to acknowledge outstanding service and devotion to the Red Cross and Red Crescent cause. For more information, see “The Henry Dunant Medal”, Standing Commission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, available at: http://standcom.ch/the-henry-dunant-medal/.
6 Antares Foundation, Managing Stress in Humanitarian Workers: Guidelines for Good Practice, 3ed ed., Amsterdam, 2012 Google Scholar, available at: www.antaresfoundation.org/FileLibrary/file6782.pdf.
7 Aid Worker Security Database, Humanitarian Outcomes, 2016, available at: www.humanitarianoutcomes.org/awsd (data not verified).
8 See Mark Snelling, “Understanding Post-Traumatic Growth”, Interhealth Worldwide, 21 August 2013, available at: www.interhealthworldwide.org/home/health-resources/health-alerts/2013/august/21/understanding-post-traumatic-growth/.
9 Editor's note: The Health Care in Danger project is an initiative of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement aimed at addressing the issue of violence against patients, health-care workers, facilities and vehicles, and ensuring safe access to and delivery of health care in armed conflicts and other emergencies. For more information, see the website available at: http://healthcareindanger.org/?WT_srch=1&gclid=CMnHlpSxy9ACFSQz0wod_UcDCw.
10 The recordings of the event, and the resulting report to the UN Secretary-General, are available for download at: https://phap.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=302.
11 Wills, Jolie, Supporting the Supporters in Disaster Recovery, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust and New Zealand Red Cross, 2014 Google Scholar, available at: http://supportingthesupporters.org/images/SupportingthesupportersJWILLS.pdf. The report was established to support community workers after the 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand.
12 The proposed approach is based on an interpretation by the four-quadrant system under the philosophy of Ken Wilber. See, for example, Ken Wilber, Introduction to the Integral Approach (and the AQAL Map), 2006, available at: www.kenwilber.com/Writings/PDF/IntroductiontotheIntegralApproach_GENERAL_2005_NN.pdf.
13 Cardoso, Barbara Lopes et al. , “Psychological Distress, Depression, Anxiety, and Burnout among International Humanitarian Aid Workers: A Longitudinal Study”, ed. Uddin, Monica, PLOS One, Vol. 7, No. 9, 2012 Google Scholar, available at: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0044948; Courtney E. Welton-Mitchell, UNCHR's Mental Health and Psychological Support for Staff, UNHCR, Geneva, 2013, available at: www.unhcr.org/research/evalreports/51f67bdc9/unhcrs-mental-health-psychosocial-support-staff.html.
14 The Antares Foundation bases its Managing Stress in Humanitarian Workers: Guidelines for Good Practice, above note 6, on its own research. See the organization's website, available at: www.antaresfoundation.org/guidelines#.WD__tfkrJhE. See also the Mandala Foundation guidelines, which put a strong emphasis on management and human resources activities. Mandala Foundation, “Managing Psychosocial Risk across the Assignment Cycle: Guidelines for Psychosocial Staff Support in the Humanitarian Aid and Development Sector”, available at: www.mandalafoundation.org.au/psychosocial-resources/guidelines-managing-psychosocial-risk/.
15 Alessandra Pigni, “Forget Work-Life Balance!”, Mindfulnext, available at: http://mindfulnext.org/forget-work-life-balance/.
16 For example, on Facebook there is a closed group called “Fifty Shades of Aid”, with more than 8,000 members, that sometimes serves as a spontaneous peer support platform. Access by invitation only.
17 Brendan Rigby, WhyDev Peer Coaching Pilot Program 2012–13: Final Report, WhyDev, 2013, available at: www.whydev.org/peer-coaching/.
18 Ibid ., p. 6.
19 See, for example, Holly Young, “Guardian Research Suggests Mental Health Crisis among Aid Workers”, The Guardian, 23 November 2015, available at: www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2015/nov/23/guardian-research-suggests-mental-health-crisis-among-aid-workers.
20 Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers, maintained by Christoph Hensch, available at: www.scoop.it/t/psychosocial-support.
21 See, for example, H. Young, above note 19.
22 Antares Foundation, above note 6.
