Screening and/or Surveillance?

Surveillance in the context of aid work originally refers to control over procedures, supplies and people, which is deemed necessary for providing recognition and services. It is widely considered an inalienable, albeit criticized, part of care provision. International aid organizations, however, also screen individuals following either conditional clauses in funding agreements in the context of counterterrorism or pursuing other organizational interests. While this opaque practice has raised concerns both in humanitarian and development circles, it is much less known how screening is implemented and if it can be construed as (harmful) surveillance. Therefore, this chapter introduces a screening tool as a core empirical part to discuss the surveillance dimension characterizing aid work. As findings indicate, surveillance tools can help aid organizations to navigate the complexity of sanctions and enforcement lists, ensure legal compliance and demonstrate accountability towards donors. However, recognition, support, contracting, employment—either in the humanitarian or the development context—increasingly depend on how NGOs categorize individuals before screening and how they make decisions based on the results. The chapter at least as much contributes to earlier research by including screening in the conceptualization of (counter)surveillance in aid work, than raises questions meriting further research.