Antiterror Laws Harm Aid Operations, Development Group Says
October 19, 2011 | Read Time: 1 minute
Post-9/11 laws aimed at preventing humanitarian aid from getting into terrorists’ hands are interfering with relief efforts in regions where Islamist militants are active, AlertNet writes, citing research by the Overseas Development Institute.
Charities operating in areas controlled by groups such as Hamas in Gaza and Somalia’s al-Shabab fear running afoul of U.S. laws criminalizing material support for terrorists, the institute said in its report. Such circumstances have raised aid charities’ costs and reduced financial support, with contributions for work in Somalia dropping by half since 2008.
While aid groups “clearly consider risk mitigation measures important, many also feel they have become too cumbersome and are preventing them from taking the necessary risks to assist communities in need,” the study said.
