Opinion: The world is failing its frontline humanitarians - Heather Campbell

More than 380 humanitarian workers were killed last year, many in Gaza. Photo / Getty Images

THE FACTS

• On the Kenya-Somalia border in 2006, extreme drought and conflict displaced thousands, highlighting the challenges faced by aid workers.
• This year, an estimated 213 million children across more than 140 countries need humanitarian assistance.
• Aid worker deaths have increased. The war in Gaza is the main driver, with 173 aid workers killed there this year.

On the Kenya-Somalia border in 2006, extreme drought and conflict were driving thousands of people from their homes. Many families had walked hundreds of kilometres to reach the refugee camp where we were working. They arrived exhausted, desperate to access the clean water, food, shelter and other lifesaving supplies.

As one of my first times working on a major humanitarian response, it was tough inside the camp. The heat, the conditions, the seemingly endless number of families arriving daily, the stories of devastation of what they had left behind. But what I remember of that response is the bond I shared with others working to save lives. That common purpose that unites us – and one I’ve experienced across every humanitarian response I’ve worked on, from earthquakes to tsunamis to refugee camps. That hope for change.

This year an estimated 213 million children across more than 140 countries will need humanitarian assistance, because of conflict, displacement and the effects of climate change. At the same time, the very people delivering lifesaving assistance are more at risk.

Increasingly, aid workers are under attack. That data shows that since 2000, more than 8500 major attacks on aid workers have been recorded, according to the Aid Worker Security Database (AWSD). The risks to aid workers are rising year after year – despite international law clearly prohibiting attacks against humanitarian workers.

This year is on track to be the deadliest yet. Already, 265 humanitarian workers have been killed, a staggering 54% increase on the 172 deaths at the same time last year. By the end of 2024, the number had risen to 383, the deadliest on record, which prompted Australia, along with a handful of other countries, to draft the Declaration on the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel in an effort to reverse the deadly trend facing aid workers.

But sadly, the number continues to rise.

The war in Gaza has been the biggest driver of this rise. Israeli forces have killed 173 aid workers there this year alone – more than the total killed worldwide in all of 2022.

In the past five years, the occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan and Sudan have been the most dangerous places for those of us working to protect and serve others.

When you lead a humanitarian organisation, these aren’t just statistics. They are colleagues, friends, who you’ve worked alongside. They too have made the choice that, despite the risks, they’re committed to making a difference. They’ll show up where others cannot go, often in places where children are starving, sick, or sheltering from bombs.

International humanitarian law is clear: aid workers are not a target. A deliberate attack on them is a war crime. Yet the law is being flouted with alarming regularity. And the world’s response has been shamefully inadequate.

What’s missing is accountability. Words alone won’t protect an aid worker delivering food or setting up an emergency clinic after an airstrike. We need governments to investigate every violation, prosecute perpetrators, and end the culture of impunity that allows these crimes to happen day after day.

The stakes could not be higher. When aid workers are killed or driven out, children suffer. Hospitals close. Food distributions stop. Clean water runs out. Disease spreads. The loss of a single nurse in a refugee camp can mean dozens of children going without care. The death of a water engineer can leave thousands without safe drinking water.

Yesterday, World Humanitarian Day should’ve been a time to celebrate the courage and compassion of those who put themselves in harm’s way for others. Instead, it has become a grim reminder of how dangerous their work has become – and how little the world is doing to protect them.

The time for action is now. We are calling on all governments to demand accountability for every violation of international humanitarian law against aid workers – and ensure those responsible are brought to justice.

Heather Campbell is Save the Children New Zealand’s Chief Executive and has spent more than two decades leading both development and humanitarian portfolios.