DEMOCRÀCIA CULTURAL

There are a number of vulnerable groups in humanitarian emergencies that usually require special attention and must be considered in all aspects of relief operations. The disabled, elderly, and children are immediately identifiable groups that have special needs such as particular dietary requirements or medical attention. In certain societies women are particularly vulnerable for example, some countries do not allow women to travel alone and without a male relation as an escort women become trapped or at increased risk of attack (Starkey and Sengupta, 2009). Other vulnerable groups can prove more difficult to identify, and their needs and effects upon emergencies appear less apparent; for example, people living with HIV/AIDS and Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

2.4.1 HIV/AIDS

In 2011, 1.7 million people died of HIV/AIDS, and the pandemic is turning into a large-scale chronic disaster as estimates indicate 34 million people are now living with HIV/AIDS (amfAR, 2012). Rehabilitating agriculture generally marks the end of emergency aid and a return to development, but the advancing HIV/AIDS epidemic has produced a ‘new variant famine’ in which the lack of healthy labor retards that transition and creates food insecurity (de Waal and Whiteside, 2003).

People living with HIV/AIDS need a nutritious, well-balanced diet. Poor nutrition can reduce medication efficacy and adherence and can accelerate the progression of the disease. A recent USAID study found that, compared to an average adult, people living with HIV/AIDS require 10 to 15 percent more energy and 50 percent more protein per day (FAO, 2003). HIV damages the

immune system, which reduces appetite and the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. As a result, the person becomes malnourished, loses weight, and is weakened. One possible sign of the onset of clinical AIDS is a weight loss of about 6–7 kilograms for an adult (WHO and FAO, 2002). Should a person already be underweight, this further weight loss would be extremely damaging.

The spread of HIV/AIDS is also of concern in complex emergencies. The risk of HIV infection is exacerbated by the high incidence of sexual violence and sexual exploitation in conflict situations. Humanitarian interventions must recognise the importance of providing aid appropriate to, and that protects the rights of, people living with HIV/AIDS. Consequently, the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC; IASC is a forum involving key UN and non-UN humanitarian partners) has produced ‘Guidelines for HIV/AIDS Interventions in Emergency Settings’ (2004), which aims to integrate HIV/AIDS components into all relevant programming areas.

2.4.2 Internally Displaced Persons

Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people who have been forced from their homes but have not crossed international borders, as a result of, or in order to avoid, the effects of armed conflict or situations of generalised violence. The legal position of IDPs in terms of existing human rights and humanitarian law was established in the United Nations ‘‘Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement’’ (1998). Unlike refugees, whose movement across national borders provides them with special status in international law with rights specific to their situation, IDPs have no such entitlement (Bradley, 2012). Humanitarian assistance is thus limited, in principle, to supportive actions undertaken with the consent of the country in question. When governments are unable or unwilling, however, to provide protection to IDPs, humanitarian organisations have sought to assist these groups, grounding their right to provide assistance on existing provisions of international humanitarian law to war victims and on human rights treaties (de Mello and Deng, 1998).

The Kampala Convention, which came into force in December 2012, is a historic milestone and the first of its kind. It is a continental instrument that binds governments in Africa to provide legal protection for the rights and well- being of those forced to flee inside their home countries due to conflict, violence, natural disasters or development projects. The Kampala Convention currently legally binds 15 countries and a total of 37 African countries have signed the convention but are not yet legally bound by its contents. Through the Kampala Convention national authorities must:

 Gather data on and identify IDPs to understand where they are and what they need;

 Provide personal ID documents;

 Trace family members and help to reunite them; and  Consult with IDPs in decisions related to their needs (IDMC, 2012).

While 15 countries are now legally bound by the Convention, there is still a long way to go before this is the case for all 53 countries in Africa. The major challenge now lies in transforming the convention into tangible improvements in the rights and wellbeing of IDPs across Africa (Bradley, 2012).

Identification of IDPs, the different groups of displaced persons, and the varying needs of these groups are all issues that need consideration in the delivery of humanitarian assistance. IDP groups can mix among resident communities, gather in camps, disperse throughout a territory, or be mixed with combatants who divert relief supplies and create serious security problems. A special category of IDPs that generates extreme concern to the humanitarian community is demobilised soldiers, as their displacement is not only from their homes but also their livelihoods. Under these circumstances, trauma, mental health, and psychological health problems often occur. Humanitarian organisations must address all these issues while upholding the principles of impartiality, neutrality, and independence if humanitarian aid in all sectors is to prove adequate, appropriate, and effective.