Added: 06/28/2006 |
The British Red Cross Society: responsibility to help vulnerable peopleIn 1859, Henry Dunant, a young Swiss man, came upon the scene of a bloody battle in Italy. Dunant organized local people to feed and comfort the soldiers. On his return, he called for the creation of national relief societies to assist those wounded in war and pointed the way to the future Geneva Conventions. Today the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement comprises the following: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS); National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide.
The ICRC, the IFRCS and the national societies are independent bodies, each having its own individual status and exercising no authority over the others.
The ICRC is a neutral organization, which task is to protect the victims of war and violence. It directs the international relief activities conducted by the Movement in cases of conflict. The ICRC was born in 1863, when five Geneva men, including Dunant, set up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, later to become the ICRC. The following year 12 governments adopted the first Geneva Convention defining medical services as 'neutral' on the battlefield.
The IFRCS was founded in 1919. The first objective of the IFRCS was to improve the health of people in countries that had suffered greatly during the 4 years of World War I. Based in Geneva, the IFRCS runs more than 80 relief operations a year and coordinates international relief provided by national societies for victims of various disasters. There are now 185 recognized national societies - one in almost every country in the world. The Red Crescent is used in place of the Red Cross in Islamic countries.
As each national society works to meet the local needs, services vary from country to country. For example, some Red Cross Societies provide a national Blood Transfusion Service, though this is not the case in Britain. The British Red Cross Society helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. The Red Cross Society enables vulnerable people in the UK and abroad to prepare for and withstand emergencies in their own communities. The aim of the British first aid program is to reduce death level and suffering due to injury and sudden illness. The Red Cross Society provides the British with the skills to deal with any emergency situation with confidence and to prevent injuries wherever possible. Following a disaster, the British Red Cross Society works to provide for people's basic needs - food, clothing, shelter, first aid.
The National Red Cross programs include: disaster background, first aid activities, disease control and prevention, donor blood collection, youth and volunteer activities, and more. The unique network of national societies is the Federation's principal feature. At a local level, the network enables the Federation to reach individual communities. The cooperation between national societies gives the Federation greater potential to assist those most in need.
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