WASHINGTON, Aug 19 (OneWorld.net) - The people who spend their days and nights handing out food, treating the sick, counseling traumatized refugees, and educating at-risk children are facing greater personal risks than ever before.
Pakistani aid worker Zill-e Usman was shot dead at a camp in northwest Pakistan. He is the third United Nations refugee agency staff member to be killed in the country in the last six months. © UN News CenterWhat's the Story?
Some 260 aid workers were killed, kidnapped, or seriously injured during the past year, the highest yearly toll ever recorded.
"Our ability to assist those who need it most is being severely tested....The nature of conflict is changing, with a multiplicity of armed groups -- some of whom view humanitarians as legitimate targets," wrote António Guterres, head of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in a statement marking World Humanitarian Day, being celebrated for the first time today.
Over the last decade, 700 humanitarian workers have lost their lives. But the frequency of attacks has increased dramatically over the past few years -- the number of attacks during only the past three years was triple the level of the previous nine years.
Today, Aug. 19, commemorates the day in 2003 when the UN office in Baghdad was bombed, killing 22 people including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the top UN envoy for Iraq. Increasing violence against humanitarian workers is causing many groups to rethink the level of risk to which staff is exposed -- a factor that could limit vital aid to people in conflict zones.
Just yesterday, two more UN staff died during a suicide bombing in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul. And at least 95 people were killed and over 500 wounded in attacks across Baghdad today -- the bloodiest day in the city all year.
"World Humanitarian Day is an opportunity both to remember those who have been killed or injured and to honor those continuing to carry out their humanitarian work despite the danger, link...
0 comments:
Post a Comment