From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement
is a movement to save human life and health. Its headquarters are in
Geneva
,
Switzerland
.
Although it is a big
international organisation
, it is privately run. No government controls the Red Cross.
The Red Cross has a special job, given by
international law
. It is the only private group to have its jobs set out by international law.
Three things make up the movement:
- The
International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC) was created in
1863
in Geneva. Its job, under international law, is to protect the life and dignity of the victims of war.
- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was founded in 1919. It tries to make sure the national Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies can work together and organise relief assistance missions in case of large-scale emergencies. The International Federation Secretariat is also based in Geneva, Switzerland.
- There is a Red Cross and
Red Crescent
society in nearly every country in the world. 186 National Red Cross and
Red Crescent
Societies are recognized by the ICRC and admitted as full members of the Federation. Each one works in its home country, following the ideas of international
humanitarian
law
and the statutes of the international Movement. If possible National Societies can take on additional humanitarian tasks that are not directly defined by
international humanitarian law
or the mandates of the international Movement. The
British Red Cross
Society, for example, organises volunteer ambulances at public events. The German Red Cross operates a
blood bank
and a professional full-time ambulance service for hospitals.
The
Red Cross
, the
Red Crescent
and the
Red Crystal
,
the three international symbols of the Red Cross
According to the Geneva conventions, there are five goals for International red cross and red crescent movements;
- To monitor compliance of warring parties with the
Geneva Conventions
- To organize nursing and care for those who are wounded on the battlefield
- To supervise the treatment of
prisoners of war
and treat them
- To help with the search for missing persons in a war (tracing service)
- To organize protection and care for normal people
- To make peace between groups in war
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