The First Principle of Humanitarian Communication: Protecting Human Dignity

The humanitarian aid sector plays a crucial role in meeting people's basic needs and improving their lives on a global scale. Individuals may struggle to meet their basic needs and require assistance due to reasons such as natural disasters, wars, economic crises, and forced migration. At this point, humanitarian organizations have a critical importance in helping vulnerable groups who are fighting for survival by meeting their basic needs.

The humanitarian aid sector aims not only to respond to emergencies but also to improve people's living standards and help them maintain a dignified life by developing long-term development projects. While carrying out these efforts, the rapid spread of social media and digital content has fundamentally transformed the communication strategies of humanitarian organizations and provided them with unprecedented access to broader audiences.

It is known that social media provides new opportunities to disseminate humanitarian aid activities, and at the same time, poses new challenges in protecting the privacy and dignity of beneficiaries. Therefore, humanitarian organizations need to increase their efforts to identify steps they can take to protect the privacy of beneficiaries and to understand how these steps will affect their activities.

Human dignity is a basic right and value that every human possesses. Therefore, this value should be respected in humanitarian communication efforts. When carrying out humanitarian aid communication, the focus should be on how the "helping hand" extended to those in need improves their lives, rather than emphasizing they are "needy". In various crisis situations, communication and media activities should be carried out with a constructive and empathy-focused approach, as this is critical in preserving people's psychological, emotional, and even cultural sensitivities. When working with beneficiaries who have experienced traumatic situations, privacy and confidentiality should be taken into consideration, and photographs and videos should not be taken without their consent. Otherwise, it could lead to permanent damage that could cause them to relive the traumas they have experienced.

Before conducting communication activities with vulnerable groups, it is important not only to meet their needs and expectations but also to feel and understand their emotions. Perhaps by sitting at their dinner tables or being a confidant, by listening to their stories, and also by sharing your own happiness or sadness, you can develop a close and trusting relationship with them.

This can help them understand and believe in you better. In addition, this situation will improve your life point of view as well. Thus, you will be able to respond better to their expectations, provide solutions, and carry out higher-quality communication activities.

Another important aspect is to clearly express to the beneficiaries the impact of the communication activities you will carry out and to be able to obtain their consent not only on paper but also from their hearts. While doing all of these, it is important to remember that the person you are communicating with is not just a "media tool".

You should manage the interview with questions that will not hurt their feelings, you should prepare the post without dramatizing their difficult situation. You should conduct all of these without embarrassing or hurting them, and prioritize their security concerns. You should honestly explain the contributions, hopes, results, and success stories that your work processes will provide for both themselves and others. It is essential to emphasize to them how meaningful their participation in these activities is.

When realizing humanitarian aid communication, it is extremely important to provide beneficiaries with trust, not to force them, to be sensitive to their cultural differences and sensitivities, to communicate openly, and to obtain their consent in order to protect their human dignity and rights. By implementing these approaches together, you can produce high-quality communication products, shed light not only on the people receiving aid but also on those donating to humanitarian efforts, and increase public awareness. In addition, providing beneficiaries with "trust," responding accurately to their needs, and respecting their rights will also increase trust in communication and media efforts in society.

Elif Irmak Erkek