Dignity under Extreme Duress

Abstract

Pakistani workers who deliver humanitarian aid in the borderlands with Afghanistan live daily with the threat of targeted killings, kidnappings, and other violent attacks. However, their work also provides them with a sense of meaning and an opportunity to provide for their families. Based on interviews and group discussions with humanitarians employed by NGOs and the Pakistani government to channel health and education aid to refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in the conflict-ridden borderlands, this chapter explores workers’ motivations, emotional experiences, and coping strategies. Through psychological trainings based on the person-centered Focusing approach, humanitarians develop a sense of dignity informed by Sufi traditions, Islamic practices, and local cultural values. However, in an atmosphere of great uncertainty, violence, and gendered cultural norms restricting public emotional expression, maintaining a sense of dignity is an ongoing challenge.