Humanitarian practice

Reflection and analysis on challenges and dilemmas linked to the delivery of humanitarian assistance

Nowhere to go

Challenges faced by sexual violence survivors in accessing services in Bangui, Central African Republic

November 2019

Sexual violence (SV) has garnered a lot of attention at international fora in recent months, with millions of dollars in donor funding pledged towards ending this “epidemic”, particularly in areas of armed conflict. However, survivors of SV in CAR aren’t feeling the impact of this momentum due to services often being absent or dysfunctional.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

No eyes on the ground

MSF’s dilemmas of using third party medical data and patient testimonies

By Philippe Latour and Jean-Marc Jacobs

May 2017

In its 45 years history, Médecins Sans Frontières has used its presence in the field and its proximity to patients to bear witness and bring the plight of populations affected by disease, natural disasters and conflicts to the world’s attention.

Articles
Humanitarian practice

Forced to Flee Central America's Northern Triangle

A Neglected Humanitarian Crisis

May 2017

Approximately 500,000 people from the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) cross into Mexico every year, fleeing violence and poverty. MSF, as a medical humanitarian organization, and through its medical programs, is witness to the reasons that have caused these people to flee from home.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

Aleppo’s Reality: Daily Life under Barrel Bombs

Voices from Eastern Aleppo

March 2015

A Compilation of Testimonies Illustrating the Hardships of Daily Life Caused by Repeated Barrel Bombings and Other Hardships in Eastern Aleppo.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

Turning a blind eye

How Europe ignores the consequences of outsourced migration management

November 2015

This report seeks  to draw attention to some of the humanitarian and medical consequences that have resulted from the enforcement of past migration cooperation deals. While the intended impact may be to prevent people from reaching Europe, MSF has seen unacceptable unintended impacts, which includes widespread abuse; expulsions of vulnerable groups to the desert; prolonged detention; and the criminalisation of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, undermining existing legal frameworks for their protection.

Reports
Humanitarian practice

Looking back at 2016

The end of humanitarian action as we knew it

Decembre 2016

Every year has its share of tragic moments. Every year we deplore that humanity has again been scarred by terrible crises that affect the lives of countless people all over the planet. Yet this year has a different taste. 

Articles
Humanitarian practice

Yemen: humanitarian action on stand-by

No refuge in a country neglected by the world

December 2015

Yemen is a country with an exceedingly rich history. Its rolling mountains and rugged desert terrain lie where one of our oldest civilisations once stood, encompassing an intricate cultural and tribal past. The Prophet Mohammed once said of Yemen that it would be the last refuge for his army, should they need to escape and seek safety in the face of danger.

 

Articles
Humanitarian practice

Refugee crisis in Europe: the triple failure

December 2015

Europe had a shocking “rentrée” from the summer holidays this September. As government officials returned to their suits and offices and kids throughout the continent returned to school, the Greek islands had become a highway for people fleeing war. In a matter of days the highway extended through to the Balkans on the tracks of a previously less trodden migration path into the European heartland. In no time thousands of people amassed in Hungary’s borders as this government attempted to halt their advance.

Articles
Humanitarian practice

MSF internal review of the February 2016 attack on the Malakal Protection of Civilians Site and the post-event situation

Public document

June 2016

This report constitutes the findings of an internal MSF review into the eruption of violence among internally displaced persons (IDPs) of different ethnic groups in a Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, South Sudan on 17 February 2016 that left many dead (including 2 MSF staff), 108 injured and over 29,000 IDPs displaced once again.

Reports
Humanitarian practice