Help without borders

Somalia, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo: They are among the most dangerous countries in the world. Years of wars and their consequences have made them so. The civilian population suffers to an unimaginable extent. For the staff of large humanitarian organizations - such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, MSF) - providing assistance in these regions is anything but easy. The impressive documentary "Access to the Danger Zone" by Eddie Gregoor and Peter Casaer shows how aid works in the war zone.

Youth girls giving birth to babies of their rapists, children with shredded hands, men learning to walk again - with prosthetics: Providing emergency aid to people in war zones presents organizations with unbelievable challenges. On one hand, they can only help if they themselves remain unharmed. And that is increasingly becoming a problem: Aid workers are becoming more and more popular targets of violence - kidnappings or even murders (their work is still seen as a "western agenda"). Then the question arises: How should one react? Withdraw? Stay? And one must weigh the options: What will happen to the local population in the former case, left without help? What risks can the organization take towards its staff without putting them in additional danger?

Delivering humanitarian aid in the midst of combat often means negotiating with all parties involved - also in the interest of the safety of the local aid workers. "Access to the Danger Zone" accompanies humanitarian workers to these conflict zones and shows how they work.

A major obstacle: Aid workers sometimes do not reach the victims or are delayed for too long. The two organizations refrain from humanitarian missions with armed escorts - only in Somalia, the "failed state" of East Africa, is that also not possible. Without armed protection, you cannot even walk ten meters here: "That would be like walking into a burning house." Contact with the military is avoided where possible - impartiality as the highest principle dictates that. Accordingly, the ICRC and MSF consider private security firms and companies pursuing political interests under the guise of humanitarian aid - the issue of "winning hearts and minds" - extremely problematic. Military actors, who often take on civilian tasks, should be recognizable as such. Because humanitarian aid, the two organizations argue, should and must not be subordinated to any purpose - except to unconditionally help people in greatest need. Anything else would undermine the trust of the population and the credibility of humanitarian organizations - with dangerous consequences for both sides (if, for example, the view prevails that all Western aid organizations are an extension of the US).

"Access to the Danger Zone" is a 52-minute documentary. At Journeyman Pictures, you can purchase the film as a DVD or download. Here is the trailer for this remarkable documentary: