Assisting vulnerable populations in violent contexts is increasingly challenging. Aid workers die, are injured and kidnapped with frightening regularity. Acting in the service of humanity has become one of the most dangerous occupations. The most serious incidents of violence against aid professionals are well documented and highlight the magnitude and severity of the problem. link
The most serious incidents of violence, however, are only a fraction of events that affect the delivery of aid. This project is the first to systematically track patterns of serious incidents and ‘everyday violence’. Everyday violence includes everything from a carjacking or armed robbery that does not result in injury, to the theft of equipment and anonymous threats. This project works directly and in partnership with aid agencies to:
complement and advance their existing efforts to collect and use data;
create and shape evidence-based security management policies.
The Security in Numbers Database (SiND) combines data gathered from open source media and agency reported incidents. SiND offers a unique facility for aid agencies to pool their security event information while maintaining confidentiality and anonymity, and to benefit from the inclusion of additional media reported event data.
SiND started as a pilot project in July 2008 and has since expanded into a global database. It includes over 1,000 incidents. More than 50% have been submitted by agencies on a confidential basis, and around 60% describe ‘everyday violence’ with the remainder covering more serious violence. The database is being backdated to the mid 1990s.
Learning From Data
The breadth of information included in the SiND – from threats to fatalities, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe - allows for nuanced analysis of patterns of violence based on who did what to whom, where, when, and with what weapon. This approach helps to inform strategic decision-making on how to minimize vulnerability.
The Aid Work in Danger project produces outputs on demand. We work with partners to identify issues and then generate analysis that reflects current concerns and debates. We also carry out tailor-made analysis for individual agencies.
Examples of Products: How we use data and approach event analysis by using six Ws. link Differences in patterns of security events affecting aid work in rural and urban environments link Starting the discussion on the gendered nature of security events affecting aid work link Is terrorism an issue for humanitarian agencies? link
Becoming a Partner
Becoming a partner is easy. By joining the project your organization will gain access to data about patterns and trends of incidents that interfere with aid delivery and affect agencies pooled from multiple sources over time. By sharing data your organization contributes to a better understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities facing aid workers and aid operations.
By being a partner you gain:
Access to a broad range of information on patterns and long-term trends
Access to country and regional overviews
Access to aggregated information about security incidents affecting other agencies
Our existing partners are:
AED link
CARE International link
Concern Worldwide link
European Interagency Security Forum (EISF) link
International Medical Corps (IMC) link
International NGO Security and Safety Association link
Oxfam UK link
Save the Children link
Security Management Initiative (SMI) link
Winrock International link
World Vision link
We thank the Kroc Institute and the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts (ISLA), both at the University of Notre Dame, for their support for the Security in Numbers Database (SiND) project.