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10 - Civilians

Inclusion versus Exclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 September 2023

Jori P. Kalkman
Affiliation:
Netherlands Defense Academy
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Summary

Ordinary civilians are assumed to panic or freeze in crises, but research has shown that this is a myth. In many crises, civilians provide life-saving help to those in need. They may even form emergent groups, which are temporary organizations that are involved in crisis response activities. Their actions can be of major importance to the crisis response efforts, but professionals are often reluctant to include volunteers in formal crisis structures out of distrust and because it requires considerable adaptation. By excluding volunteers, responders are sure that trained professionals provide high-quality support to affected communities. The attitude of frontline responders to volunteers poses a dilemma. It is important to anticipate the presence of well-intentioned volunteers and build relations with them, so that their skills and intentions can be rapidly identified and potential coordination can be established early on. Civilians can be given a variety of tasks, depending on the crisis, but it should not foreclose the recognition of their possible victimhood. Open engagement enables the adaptive incorporation of civilians in frontline crisis response efforts.

Type
Chapter
Information
Frontline Crisis Response
Operational Dilemmas in Emergency Services, Armed Forces, and Humanitarian Organizations
, pp. 154 - 170
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Civilians
  • Jori P. Kalkman, Netherlands Defense Academy
  • Book: Frontline Crisis Response
  • Online publication: 28 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009262170.010
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  • Civilians
  • Jori P. Kalkman, Netherlands Defense Academy
  • Book: Frontline Crisis Response
  • Online publication: 28 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009262170.010
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Civilians
  • Jori P. Kalkman, Netherlands Defense Academy
  • Book: Frontline Crisis Response
  • Online publication: 28 September 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009262170.010
Available formats
×