by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Writer
According to Caritas Internationalis, one of the world’s largest Catholic aid organizations, the first annual “World Humanitarian Day,” celebrated yesterday, marked one of the deadliest years on record for global aid workers.
“From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, Georgia to Gaza, Sri Lanka to Sudan, we’re seeing the erosion of one of the central pillars of humanitarianism: Aid agencies must be allowed to reach the most vulnerable people in conflicts,” said Caritas Internationalis Humanitarian Director, Alistair Dutton.
In 2008, 260 aid workers were victims of murder, kidnapping and serious injury, compared to 1998 when only 69 such incidents occurred.
This year has also seen a number of deaths. “Raj” Anthonipillai Uthayaraj, 26, a volunteer driver was killed in Sri Lanka in the no-fire zone on May 8 of this year. Caritas France’s Ricky Agusa Sukaka, 27, was shot dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo on 15 July. Caritas Vanni Director Rev. Fr. T.R. Vasanthaseelan and Rev. Fr. James Pathinathan were seriously injured in shelling in Sri Lanka in April.
Caritas workers often place themselves in grave danger in order to reach those who have been victimized by natural or man-made disasters. However, the situation is only made worse when their ability to bring aid to the vulnerable is restricted by the actions of governments, something that has happened too often in the last 18 months, Dutton said.
For instance, the Israeli government prevented access to the Gaza Strip during military operations that began in December. A Caritas medical center was also destroyed in the fighting.
Zimbabwe suspended all aid agency field operations following contested elections. During the time when they were still permitted to work in the country, Caritas members were able to directly feed over a million people in this country where nine out of 10 families go hungry.
World Humanitarian Day, which will be recognized every year on Aug. 19, was established by the U.N. General Assembly in December, 2008.
The day is meant to raise public awareness of humanitarian assistance activities worldwide and to remember those aid workers who lost their lives while bringing assistance to others.
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