Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Legends and realities in international humanitarian

assistance

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Information sources about disasters

• Media reports and pictures within a few hours

• Therafter, aid agencies start fundraising based on these media-reports

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Disaster-criteria

• Number and needs of victims to avoid unnecessary death and suffering

• Death-rate• Spectacular pictures

Aid-agencies Media

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Reports about international disasters

• Spectacular• Exaggerated• Not representative

• Spectacular• Heroic• Advertising headlines

Media Aid-agencies

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Aid-agencies legend of relief-workers

bravestrongdecidedSacrifices himselfIs full of energy

Is a surgeon

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Reliefe-workers are condemned to be heroes by both the media and

the aid-agencies

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Good intentions are more important than

competences

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Headlines

„… victims are desperately waiting for

help….“„… each hand is needed…“

„… dead bodies are a threat of epidemics…““

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Legend

Disasters are black

Heroes are white

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

consequences

• Disasters are „made“ by the media

• There is only one disaster at a time

• Funding of relief-operations depends on media-attention

• Relief-operations are media-driven

• Unspectacular disasters are forgotten and underfunded

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Media-disaster

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Media-disaster

Spectacular relief-operations are more

important than useful ones

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

„… in other relief-operations, we always

ran out of money. After the Tsunami, we ran

out of victims….“Aid-worker; Sumatra; march 2005

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Comparison

Death-rate:

< 200.000

Injured:

Ca. 60.000

homeless:

1.500.000

Death-rate:

86.000

Injured:

Ca. 80.000

homeless:

3.500.000

TsunamiEarthquake

Kashmir

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Comparison

Donations after 4 weeks:

~ 10.000.000.000. USD

per beneficiary:

~ 6500 USD

Donations after 4 weeks:

~ 400.000.000 USD

per beneficiary:

~ 110 USD

TsunamiEarthquake

Kashmir

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Legend 1

• „…. Victims are shocked and paralysed and desperately waiting for help….“

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Realities 1

• Humanitarian assistance is started immediately after a disaster by the survivors

• 98% of lifesavings are happening in the first 48 hours after an earthquake

• External surgical teams will need at least 5 days before being operative in the field

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Example Bam/Iran

• 8 iranian sniff-dogs rescued more than 100 buried earthquake victims in the first 48 hours

• From day 3 after the disaster, more than 1500 sniff-dogs arrived from all over the world

• Number if victims rescued by all these external teams in total:

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Example Bam/Iran

Zero!!!!

Dr. med. Richard Munz MA - IFHV - Ruhr Universität Bochum

Something to remember

• „… Humanitarian assistance is what you are doing with us, when we are in such a horrible situation, that we can not afford to refuse it…“

Rwandese refugee in Benaco-Camp/Tanzania; Mai 1994