Juliette Lewis (via quotemadness)

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Kidnapping Is A Rising Concern For Aid Workers Around The World

THE ISSUE 

Over the past few years, there’s been a sharp increase in the number of aid workers being targeted for kidnap and ransom. Of all forms of violence that aid workers are subjected to, kidnapping has seen the steepest rise. Between 2002 and 2014, the number of reported kidnappings of aid workers each year quadrupled to 121, says Abby Stoddard, a partner at Humanitarian Outcomes, an independent research group, and the senior program adviser at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation.

WHERE IT HAPPENS 

Attack rates are higher in areas of conflict and political instability. The countries with the greatest risk for kidnapping were Afghanistan, Syria and South Sudan, according to the Aid Worker Security Database.

WHY IT HAPPENS 

As a tactic, kidnapping has a high rate of return on investment for criminals and terrorist groups, explains Stoddard, who also works on the Database. These groups can get “high ransoms and great visibility for their political messages,” she says. And as a form of attack, kidnapping doesn’t require heavy weaponry.

WHO IT AFFECTS 

The vast majority of victims are staffers from the country of operation, not international staff, according to a 2013 report on the Database. There are more nationals in the field and they’re perceived to have more money than the average local inhabitant because they are employed by a global organization.