Guest post: Humanitarian Assistance to Migrants in Vulnerable Situations – Why Trust Matters

Contributed by the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab

Despite growing evidence and concern of a breakdown in trust between migrants and humanitarian organisations, little is known about who migrants trust (and why) when accessing humanitarian assistance and protection. What’s more, there has been little global research into how trust or distrust impacts migrants’ ability and willingness to seek help at different stages of their journeys.

In the context of migration, trust in humanitarian organisations is critical given the vulnerabilities and risks many migrants face, as well as the increased securitisation of migration and the conflation of border and migration control policies with humanitarian aid. This post attempts to consolidate and draw on the resources available to inform practitioners’ work in this space and underscore the importance of continued research in this area.

In December 2022, the Red Cross Red Crescent Global Migration Lab ('the Lab') published a research report exploring migrants’ perceptions of humanitarian organisations and their experiences linked to accessing and receiving humanitarian assistance and protection throughout their journeys. The report - Migrants’ perspectives: Building trust in humanitarian action – is available in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Arabic) and analyses survey and interview data from nearly 17,000 migrants, including refugees, across 15 countries (Argentina, Australia, Finland, France, the Gambia, Honduras, Maldives, Mali, Niger, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Turkey, and Zambia). 

The Lab’s report outlines the complexities of building and maintaining trust among migrants as they travel across borders and emphasizes the importance of the independence of humanitarian organisations – in both practice and perception. Indeed, fears that accessing humanitarian assistance and protection may lead to risks of deportation or detention were expressed by 25% of migrants, with the potential to hinder access to life-saving support. In addition, findings revealed a trail of unmet need along migrants’ journeys, with 79% needing support at one time during their journeys but not receiving it.

The report, while unique in its multi-country and cross-regional focus on migrants’ trust, also demonstrates the increasing vulnerabilities, risks and needs faced by migrants in the context of an increased securitization agenda and more restrictive border control policies that impact migrants’ safety, dignity and well-being. 

Issues related to the provision of humanitarian assistance and protection to migrants in vulnerable situations, and the multifaceted dynamics linked to the nature and circumstances of migrants’ travel and increasing needs on the ground, are further documented in the following list of resources. 

• Arias Cubas, Magdalena, Nicole Hoagland & Sanushka Mudaliar. 2023. "Migrants in Need Report Barriers to Assistance and Fragile Trust in Humanitarian Organizations," Migration Information Source. Migration Policy Institute. 
• Bakewell, Oliver. 2000. "Uncovering Local Perspectives on Humanitarian Assistance and Its Outcomes," Disasters, 24(2): 103-116.  
• Carrera, Sergio, Gabriella Sanchez, Lina Vosyliute, Stephanie Smialowski & Jennifer Allsopp. 2018. Fit for Purpose? The Facilitation Directive and the Criminalisation of Humanitarian Assistance to Irregular Migrants: 2018 Update. Migration Policy Centre.  
• Faure Atger, Anaïs. 2019. "EU Migration Strategy: Compromising Principled Humanitarian Action," Forced Migration Review, 61: 30-32. 
• Global Disaster Preparedness Centre (GDPC) & International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). N.d. Humanitarian Service Points Digital Toolkit.  
• Grayson, Catherine-Lune. 2016. "Le Camp de Réfugiés de Kakuma, Lieu de Méfiance et de Défiance," Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue Canadienne d’études du Développement, 37(3): 341-357. 
• Hynes, Tricia. 2003. "The Issue of 'Trust' or 'Mistrust' in Research with Refugees: Choices, Caveats and Considerations for Researchers," New Issues in Refugee Research Working Paper, no. 98. UN High Commissioner for Refugees. 
• Independent Monitoring, Research, and Evidence Facility (IMREF). 2021. Exploring Migrants’ Trust in Humanitarian Organisations.  
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). 2018. New Walled Order: How Barriers to Basic Services Turn Migration into a Humanitarian Crisis.  
• International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. 2019. Summary Report from Commission III: Trust in Humanitarian Action. Geneva: 33rd International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. 
• Journal of International Humanitarian Action. 
• Kotsioni, Ioanna. 2016. "Detention of Migrants and Asylum-Seekers: The Challenge for Humanitarian Actors," Refugee Survey Quarterly, 35(2): 41-55.  
• Linde, Thomas. 2009. "Humanitarian Assistance to Migrants Irrespective of their Status – Towards a Noncategorical Approach," International Review of the Red Cross, 91(875): 567-578. 
• Mixed Migration Centre (MMC). 
• Nyberg Sørensen, Ninna & Sine Plambech, eds. 2019. Global Perspectives on Humanitarianism: When Human Welfare Meets the Political and Security Agendas. Danish Institute for International Studies. 
• Savio Vammen, Ida Marie, Sine Plambech, Ahlam Chemlali & Ninna Nyberg Sørensen. 2021. Does Information Save Migrants’ Lives? Knowledge and Needs of West African Migrants en Route to Europe. Danish Institute for International Studies.