Friday 19th August is World Humanitarian Day which is a global celebration of people helping people. This day is here to also pay tribute to humanitarian workers killed and injured in their work.
This day was designed in memory of the 19th August 2002 bomb attack on Canal Hotel in Iraq. This bomb attack was caused by a suicide bomber driving a truck bomb which killed 22 people, including the United Nations Special Representative in Iraq Sérgio Vieira de Mello.
Each year World Humanitarian Day focuses on a theme that brings together partners across the humanitarian system to advocate for key issues of people affected by crises and to remember the sacrifices people have made to make our life much easier and safer during these hard times.
From the Statistics of Humanitarian Outcomes, did you know:
- In 2020, 475 aid workers were attacked: 108 killed, 242 wounded and 125 kidnapped.
- Travel and movement restrictions for international staff (due to Covid-19) may partly explain why the proportion of national aid worker victims in 2020 was even higher than usual (95%).
- Most of the violence took place in South Sudan, Syria, and DRC. Other high incident contexts included the Central African Republic and Mali, where incidents more than doubled since 2018.
- Attacks against aid workers in Tigray of Ethiopia rose during 2020 and has been worsening further in 2021.
Even though many humanitarian workers face many hardships and abuse, they never stop helping! Helping others gives you a sense of purpose, belonging and hope that builds and helps strengthen social connections. This leads to stronger relationships.
World leaders have the power to ensure the protection and safety of their people who are usually caught amidst conflicts and crises around the globe. We must remind leaders that civilians are not targets.
Humanitarian work serves a vital purpose in the wake of such devastating events. It provides emergency assistance, assistance with physical reconstruction of communities and even education. To help with humanitarian work, volunteer at local charities or organisations such as Oxfam or Red Cross.
These organisations have an exciting community of dedicated and inspiring individuals who are driven to help those in need, from all parts of the globe. Here at RefashionMyTown, we are committed to giving back to our community through our workshops and drop-in sessions at our shop in Chippenham. We are also looking for volunteers to help us with our shop which you can view on our website for more details.
Further resources
Five reasons why humanitarian work is more important than ever