The preventable trauma of humanitarians | Wha...

"The first place that people are dehumanised is in stories." - Sophie Otiende The way we tell stories about humanitarian crises can distort the realities of the people living through them. From news coverage and research to aid donation appeals, there is a tendency to simplify, d ...  Show more

Is it problematic to call human suffering a "tragedy"? Even well-intentioned humanitarian language can harm, says Heidi Mogstad, senior researcher at the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway. She argues that the language humanitarians use can perpetuate systems of violence that cau ...  Show more

<span style="color: #0e101a;">"I've seen horrible things. I've seen massacres. Human suffering. These are not easy sights to see. The best way I found to deal with that is just to be determined to fix it in some fashion."</span>

This week on Babel, Jon Alterman speaks with Amb. David Satterfield, the U.S. special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues. They discuss the crisis in Gaza, the challenges of getting aid to civilians, and the role of humanitarian assistance in ending the conflict. Then, Jon ...  Show more

Gaza is on the brink of famine. The UN says more than half the population – over a million people – could face catastrophic hunger. But the process of delivering aid is slow and dangerous. The BBC’s Diplomatic Correspondent James Landale tells Mark Lowen about taking part in an a ...  Show more

Desde el comienzo de la invasión israelí en Gaza, el gobierno de Netanyahu ha arrasado con la ayuda humanitaria en la franja. La ha boicoteado, la ha bloqueado, la ha criminalizado mientras la hambruna alcanza ya a dos millones de personas. Esta semana un ataque del ejército d ...