addressing violence against female aid workers

With One Billion Rising campaign and the Commission on Women, the development community will be focusing on violence against women – but what about the safety of the professionals themselves? Join the debate, Thursday 14 Feb

As campaigners around the world ready themselves for the launch of theOne Billion Rising movement on Thursday, recent violent incidents inPakistan and northern Nigeria have lefty us wondering: is enough being done to protect the women at the frontline?

Why women? With only one week to prevent an unwanted pregnancy and three days to prevent HIV, Aisha Bain at International Rescue Committee explains that women and girls face "increased risks and specific needs".

Further unpicking the relevance for the development community, and referring specifically to the shootings in northern Nigeria, Ana Lukatela, programme specialist with UN Women's peace and security section writes: "These murdered women played a critical role in these UN-sponsored polio vaccination drives. In conservative societies where ordinary women often lack freedom of mobility, it is female health workers that play a desperately needed role in bridging the gap between the private space of the home and the public arena of basic service provision.

"To be sure, we cannot advocate for women to take on public roles in insecure employment conditions, and then leave them to be gunned down on the street."

And it is not just the safety of the expatriate that is of concern but especially that of the local staff, trained to deliver interventions and who fall victim in far higher numbers. From counsellors of victims of violence, to community health workers and agricultural extension officers, as the sector prepares for the commission on the status of women in March, is there sufficient acknowledgement of the risks to these development actors? Within the wider calls to end violence against women, should aid workers themselves be explicitly addressed?

On Thursday 14 February, we'll bring a panel from across the sector to explore what the evidence is for rising violence against women in development and what individual or organisational lessons there are on how best to protect professionals in the field. Join us in the comment threads at 1pm GMT to share your own experiences and thoughts.

The live chat is not video or audio-enabled but will take place in the comments section (below). If you are unable to get online on Thursday, email your views to globaldevpros@guardian.co.uk or follow our tweets using the hashtag #globaldevlive