World Humanitarian Day is held every year on 19 August to pay tribute to aid workers who risk their lives in humanitarian service, and to rally support for people affected by crises around the world. In 2017, the United Nations centered their campaign around civilians in war zones. The hashtag #NotATarget was shared to create awareness surrounding health and aid workers who risk their lives to care for people affected by violence, and are increasingly being targeted. As medical outbreaks remain without cure and wars wage on, how can society work to protect humanitarians in their efforts?
On this episode of The Oxford Comment, we explore what drives people to dedicate their lives to humanitarianism. We also take a look at rising social media trends centered around advocacy and humanitarian efforts. Activists use social platforms to engage with one another and attract attention to their causes. Humanitarian efforts are going beyond hashtags to create lasting change, but how can the rest of society be engaged beyond the internet?
Executive Producer/Editor: Nicole Piendel
Host: Erin Katie Meehan
Associate Producer: Marissa Lynch
Associate Producer: Mackenzie Cutruzzula
Production Coordinators: Katelyn Phillips, Victoria McPherson, Tom Carson
Production Assistants: Madeline Woda, Julia Baker
Follow @UNOCHA on Twitter and @UN_OCHA on Instagram
http://messengersofhumanity.org
https://www.worldhumanitarianday.org/en
https://www.unocha.org
Learn more about Dr. Robert Wick's book 'Night Call' here:
http://oxford.ly/2vYyacn
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEB2d5oBgQo
Learn more about Sarah Gehlert, PhD (Dean, College of Social Work at University of South Carolina)
http://aaswsw.org/members/sarah-gehlert-phd/
https://www.socialworkers.org/About
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