Are we getting too comfortable leaving people in harm's way?

We have to take responsibility, when and where we can.

I wrote a blog many years ago, suggesting that we reframe the way that we talk about people experiencing disadvantage, and in need of help.

Rather than talking about them in terms of what they lack, or the disadvantage they are experiencing – we can start by simply understanding that we are leaving each of these individuals and communities ‘In harm’s way’.

The change in framing was intended to encourage us to see these challenges as a reflection of our own responsibilities, not simply focusing on the deficits or challenges of ‘others’.

Someone isn’t ‘homeless’ or ‘unhoused’, but ‘In harm’s way’.

Someone isn’t an ‘asylum seeker’, but ‘In harm’s way’.

People aren’t simply experiencing ‘cost of living stress’ but are being left ‘In harm’s way’.

There aren’t people in camps, lining up for food, they’re ‘In harm’s way’.

Our responsibility should be, at all times to remove people from harm’s way wherever we see it. I cannot imagine leaving a child on a road in traffic, simply because of the colour of their skin, or the place of their birth, or the language they speak at home – if they are in harm’s way, I should make every effort to remove them from that circumstance.

Every day, we are bombarded with images of people who are left in harm’s way. Left vulnerable and lacking agency. Lacking support and opportunity. Lacking safety and the most fundamental of basic human supports. Lacking our empathy and action.

Disaster relief is what we call it when we mobilise to help out after ‘natural disasters’ like floods, but when the disasters are the result of political and economic decisions, inequality and exploitation – we don’t have a commensurate term.

Huge numbers of people and communities in harm’s way are there for totally treatable and reversible reasons.

We could feed and house everyone. We could be on the side that demands an end to the senseless killing of innocent civilians. We could make medicine and healthcare accessible to all. We can redistribute wealth. We can condemn genocide. Globally.

We are getting far too comfortable leaving people in harm’s way, abrogating our responsibilities to people and the planet now and for the future.

We need to do better, and we cannot delay.