Desafios e boas práticas na ação humanitária e de emergência em Portugal

Abstract

With dozens of different serious humanitarian crises, the world is faced with the urge to develop Humanitarian and Emergency Action (AHE) through practices that meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Thus, the present investigation aims to explore the perspectives of AHE professionals regarding the challenges and practices of this type of intervention in Portugal. The participants were six AHE professionals, selected through a non-probabilistic convenience sampling process. Based on a qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were carried out. Subsequently, an inductive and interpretative approach to the information was carried out, using the NVivo software. The main results showed that networking and collaboration are essential, as well as the professionalization of humanitarian work. Additionally, the results showed that common citizens can play an important role in AHE, through activities such as volunteering and promoting media attention to crises forgotten by the general population. Finally, the permanence of discriminatory and racist attitudes and behaviors towards vulnerable populations is pointed out as a major challenge faced by AHE. The results of this research reflect the need to continue to develop AHE's good practices while simultaneously tackling its challenges for the present and future.

Date of Award	13 Jul 2023
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Mariana Barbosa (Supervisor)