| Description |
xxi, 179 pages : illustrations, maps ; 22 cm |
| Contents |
Preface - Mego Terzian -- 1. Humanitarian Security in the Age of Risk Management - Michaël Neuman and Fabrice Weissman -- HISTORY -- 2. On Danger, Sacrifice and Professionalisation: MSF and the Security Debate - Michaël Neuman -- 3. Danger, Risk, Security and Protection: Concepts at the Heart of the History of Humanitarian Aid - Bertrand Taithe -- THEORIES -- 4. Violence Against Aid Workers: The Meaning of Measuring - Fabrice Weissman Box: Security Incident Narratives Buried in Numbers: The MSF Example - Fabrice Weissman -- 5. Humanitarian Security Manuals: Neutralising the Human Factor in Humanitarian Action - Monique J. Beerli and Fabrice Weissman Box: Who Benefits from "Duty of Care"? - Jonathan Edwards and Michaël Neuman -- PRACTICES -- 6. The Duty of a Head of Mission: Interview with Delphine Chedorge, MSF Emergency Coordinator in Central African Republic - Michaël Neuman Box: The Case of "Dangerous Patients" in Yemen's Governorate of Amran - Michaël Neuman -- 7. Qabassin, Syria: Security Issues and Practices in an MSF Mission in the Land of Jihad - Judith Soussan -- 8. The Shadowy Theatre of Kidnappings: An Account of Arjan Erkel's Rescue - Duncan McLean |
| Summary |
Most humanitarian aid organisations now have departments specifically dedicated to protecting the security of their personnel and assets. The management of humanitarian security has gradually become the business of professionals who develop data collection systems, standardised procedures, norms, and training meant to prevent and manage risks. A large majority of aid agencies and security experts see these developments as inevitable - all the more so because of quantitative studies and media reports concluding that the dangers to which aid workers are today exposed are completely unprecedented. Yet, this trend towards professionalisation is also raising questions within aid organisations, MSF included. Can insecurity be measured by scientific means and managed through norms and protocols? How does the professionalisation of security affect the balance of power between field and headquarters, volunteers and the institution that employs them? What is its impact on the implementation of humanitarian organisations' social mission? Are there alternatives to the prevailing security model(s) derived from the corporate world? Building on MSF's experience and observations of the aid world by academics and practitioners, the authors of this book look at the drivers of the professionalisation of humanitarian security and its impact on humanitarian practices, with a specific focus on Syria, CAR and kidnapping in the Caucasus. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index |
| Subject |
Médecins sans frontières (Association)
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Non-governmental organizations -- Security measures.
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Voluntary Health Agencies.
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Security Measures.
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Safety Management.
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Relief Work -- organization & administration.
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Medical Missions -- organization & administration.
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| Author |
Neuman, Michael, editor
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Weissman, Fabrice, 1969- editor
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| ISBN |
9781849046510 (paperback) |
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1849046514 (paperback) |
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