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  • Writer's pictureMichelle Lynn Cangelosi

What Exactly Does It Mean to Be Humanitarian in Social Work?

ICHA was established to solve barriers to international cooperation and partnership in humanitarian work. This was done to facilitate the building of bridges between the professions of social work and humanitarian assistance. Even though the ICHA has just been established, its founders have said they have a long-term plan for the effort. In addition, they believe the social work viewpoint brings something valuable to the field of humanitarian work.


In recent years, the question of gender inequalities in humanitarian work has been raised on several occasions. Examining the experiences of women and men working for international non-profit organizations in Palestine indicates a wide variety of discrepancies in the working environments they are exposed to. The research contributes to the expanding body of literature on volunteers and national staff while filling a crucial information gap regarding the stressors that humanitarian workers face in various settings. On the other hand, it sheds light on how gender inequalities in humanitarian work may directly impact the lives of people employed in the field.


The research is not without its flaws. The sample size was inadequate, and the replies did not adequately reflect the breadth of activities under humanitarianism's umbrella. Despite this restriction, the study provides give a foundation for more research to be conducted in the future. In addition, the sample does not include all social workers and only focuses on one kind of organization as its primary concern. The research needs to have included a more extensive range of people working in the humanitarian sector, such as Palestinian nationals and foreign assistance workers.


In humanitarian aid, gender disparities are exacerbated by lockdown conditions. In addition, women are often the ones who are responsible for caring for children and other dependents. Women are more at risk in a circumstance like this one. In earlier crises, such as the first COVID crisis in China, lockdowns were previously seen.


Not only can cash transfer programs provide financial assistance, but they are also an effective means of addressing social and gender norms and may increase access to a variety of vital services. In the intimate partner violence (IPV) context, cash-plus programs can include supplementary programs that address risk factors and bolster gender norms. For instance, the Puente program in Chile offered families at risk of intimate partner violence with preferred access to resources and included extensive psychological care from social workers. In addition, these initiatives have the potential to address gender stereotypes as well as the consequences of intimate partner violence, mainly when women achieve economic independence.


Even though cash transfers are a standard method of providing social protection, they will not accomplish the intended results unless adapted to a particular environment. Therefore, the efficacy of cash transfer programs is contingent on their capacity to be administered within the context of the values, norms, and cultures of the communities in which they are situated.


The identification of potential threats to social protection is a significant obstacle faced by humanitarian organizations. Regarding social security, the many parties involved will have difficulty determining the appropriate timing for their involvement. In addition, humanitarian actors may be guilty of underestimating the degree to which vulnerability and chronic poverty coincide. The following table provides an overview of the potential dangers involved with humanitarian work.


Locating potential dangers is the essential first step in any humanitarian effort. This phase is critical to reducing the number of lives lost and the damage done to the property and ensuring that individuals impacted by the catastrophe have access to sufficient food, shelter, and medical treatment. In this procedure, having the right kind of preparation and structure is necessary. Without these, the money allocated to humanitarian help may be wasted.


In addition to identifying potential dangers, humanitarian actors are responsible for guaranteeing that their actions will not jeopardize the fundamental social protection goals and functions. This indicates that those involved in humanitarian efforts have to have well-defined roles and duties. In addition, those involved in humanitarian efforts must avoid presenting additional hazards, such as COVID-19 infection, during such actions. In addition, they are required to put safeguards that prevent beneficiaries from being subjected to sexual exploitation or violence based on their gender.


The scope of humanitarian action extends beyond humanitarian crises and responding to such calamities. According to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), which publishes an annual World Disaster Report, those who have personally touched the make up a significant portion of the first responder workforce. As a direct consequence, humanitarian interventions have evolved to include people whom disasters have touched. In addition, humanitarian aid has grown to consider emerging concepts like resilience. People who have been touched by a catastrophe, together with their communities, may gain the ability to self-govern and survive with the assistance of resilient humanitarianism.


On the other hand, the traditional approach to humanitarianism is preoccupied with establishing humanitarian response in situations when local institutions are destroyed or absorbed by war. In addition, the paradigm of conventional benevolence, which emphasizes assistance from international organizations, presupposes that local institutions are ineffective and unable to provide services. As a result, it circumvents these institutions. On the other hand, resilience humanitarianism, which emphasizes the need to create local ability to react to catastrophes and reconstruct society, attempts to build on these already existing institutions and capacities while also establishing new ones.


The importance of maintaining resiliency The term "humanitarian" may be seen as an emerging reality, and humanitarianism is a logical consequence of the term. As a result of the effects of climate change, humanitarianism has adjusted to the new reality, and as a result, humanitarianism has progressed to represent this newly discovered reality. As a consequence of this, efforts to develop the community's resilience have become more critical than they have ever been, and humanitarian assistance must be adaptable enough to react to a variety of different circumstances.

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