Last year, attacks on aid workers around the world fell by 30 percent. The figures, though, remain very high: in 27 countries, 329 operators were victims of violence, shootings and kidnappings; among them, 120 were killed, 88 kidnapped and 121 taken hostage. These are the figures presented by an up-to-date report assembled by Aidworkersecurity.org, a project endorsed by Humanitarian Outcomes. The team has specialized in analysis and research to monitor the safety of aid workers around the world since 1997.
The year has seen fewer attacks, according to the data, but the figures remain concerning when compared to the 2012 figures.

During 2014, most of the attacks (28 percent) took place while workers were wandering on the streets; 12 percent happened while workers were performing their duties on project sites such as hospitals, schools, villages; and 12 percent took place in public places. A third of the violent acts remain without records.
The lower number of attacks and fewer victims, compared with the 2013 figures, is the result of increased security measures adopted by NGOs and UN agencies. It is worth noticing that there has been a reduction of the presence of workers in areas most at risk. The reduction means less aid and less support for the local population, which is also the first victim of the violence and attacks. Local workers suffer 90 percent of all attacks against aid workers, reflecting the reduced international presence of foreign NGOs and agencies.

Afghanistan remains the most dangerous country for aid workers. It has been experiencing increasing insecurity after the United States left the country in 2011. According to the data, there have been 54 attacks involving 127 operators.
Syria (before 2011, there had never been attacks against aid workers) and South Sudan make the second and third positions on the list. With 27 operators (mostly local staff) affected in attacks, the Central African Republic enters the list of most dangerous countries for the first time ever.

IRIN Network and Humanitarian Outcome have developed a project that gathers both the data related to the attacks suffered by humanitarian personnel and the personal stories of aid workers into an interactive map. The data goes back to 2000 and focuses on the larger conflicts that have claimed more victims.
Since 2003, Darfur has suffered more than 200 attacks against humanitarian workers, making Sudan the country suffering the highest number of attacks in the last 15 years. Somalia follows, with a surge in terrorist acts carried out by Al Shabaab between 2006 and 2007. Here the Security Map

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