Victim identity and respect for human dignity: a terminological analysis

2009 ◽  
Vol 91 (874) ◽  
pp. 259-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valerie M. Meredith
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
Institutional Discourse ◽  
And Function ◽  
Different Levels

AbstractThe use of the term ‘victim’ as an identity can have different implications, depending on who is using it, claiming it, rejecting it or attributing it to others. Its negative connotations may have an impact on the person or persons concerned. This implies that the term should be used with some care and insight. The article analyses the use and function of the word ‘victim’ at different levels in the work and actions of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Noting the extent to which the term is or is not used with caution, it points to the evolution in awareness from a certain institutional discourse to the current careful wording displayed in research and publications. The article stresses the importance of aid workers being able to recognize the potential and active identity of a person beyond the institutional label as ‘victim’, as this constitutes an important step in respecting that person's human dignity.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross: A true partnership to help the most vulnerable

2017 ◽  
Vol 99 (906) ◽  
pp. 885-895
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Red Cross

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have stood shoulder to shoulder in partnership to help the most vulnerable and address the needs of millions of people throughout Syria. Particularly since 2011, the two organizations have collaborated to respond to diverse humanitarian needs with the ultimate goal of protecting human dignity.

Cooperation between the International Committee of the Red Cross and National Societies in Bosnia-Herzegovina: broadening the Red Cross response

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (323) ◽  
pp. 249-262
Author(s):  
Pierre Krähenbühl
Keyword(s):  
International Committee ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
World War ◽  
Break Up ◽  
Second World

The break-up of Yugoslavia and the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina represented the first major conflict on European soil since the end of the Second World War. It confronted politicians, military planners, journalists and aid workers alike with daunting challenges that often posed acute dilemmas. In many ways, the war threw into question the international community's ability to respond to the issues at hand and meet the needs encountered. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement was not spared this challenge.

Twenty years after Novye Atagi: A call to care for the carers

2016 ◽  
Vol 98 (901) ◽  
pp. 299-314 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Hensch
Keyword(s):  
Healing Process ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
Personal Story ◽  
Humanitarian Aid Workers ◽  
The Impact

AbstractWorking in the humanitarian sector as an aid worker has become a dangerous endeavour, with attacks against humanitarian workers becoming more common. In this personal story by a former head of office at an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) surgical hospital, a short, violent encounter leads to a long journey of recovery. There is an important role for the community in supporting the healing process; the author suggests that an integral and collaborative involvement by organizations like the ICRC is effective in addressing the impact of violence directed towards humanitarian aid workers.

The Deaths of Combatants

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L Gross
Keyword(s):  
Human Dignity ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Law Of War ◽  
Military Necessity ◽  
Medical Guidelines

Although there are few restrictions on killing combatants, the contemporary law of war bans weapons that cause superfluous injury and unnecessary suffering. Because military necessity and humanitarian norms often conflict, no clear regulations have emerged. Instead, states sometimes ban weapons because they cause horrific wounds. But this determination is subjective and has led the Red Cross to seek objective medical guidelines on unnecessary suffering. A close look shows how it is often difficult to apply these guidelines to new non-lethal technologies, which include electromagnetic, pharmacological, and neurological weapons. These weapons do not cause obvious injury and suffering and may even reduce combatant and civilian injuries. Nevertheless, they can cause intense transient pain or impinge upon human dignity when they undermine cognitive capabilities. Weighing the costs of new technologies against their benefits remains an abiding challenge for humanitarian law.

The ICRC Library goes digital

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-2
Keyword(s):  
International Committee ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
International Humanitarian Law ◽  
Humanitarian Law ◽  
Reference Library ◽  
Parallel Development ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past

The ICRC Library is home to unique collections retracing the parallel development of humanitarian action and law during the past 150+ years. With the core of these collections now digitized, this reference library on international humanitarian law (IHL) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a resource available to all, anytime, anywhere.

Hacking humanitarians: Defining the cyber perimeter and developing a cyber security strategy for international humanitarian organizations in digital transformation

2020 ◽  
Vol 102 (913) ◽  
pp. 367-387
Author(s):  
Massimo Marelli
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
Armed Conflict ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
International Committee ◽  
Digital Transformation ◽  
Red Cross ◽  
Digital Environment ◽  
Security Strategy ◽  
Humanitarian Action ◽  
Humanitarian Organizations

AbstractDigitalization and new technologies have an increasingly important role in today's humanitarian activities. As humanitarian organizations become more active in and reliant on new and digital technologies, they evolve from being simple bystanders to being fully fledged stakeholders in cyberspace, vulnerable to adverse cyber operations that could impact on their capacity to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict or other situations of violence.This shift makes it essential for humanitarian organizations to understand and properly map their resulting cyber perimeter. Humanitarian organizations can protect themselves and their activities by devising appropriate cyber strategies for the digital environment. Clearly defining the digital boundaries within which they carry out operations lays the groundwork for humanitarian organizations to develop a strategy to support and protect humanitarian action in the digital environment, channel available resources to where they are most needed, and understand the areas in which their operational dialogue and working modalities need to be adapted for cyberspace.The purpose of this article is to identify the unique problems facing international humanitarian organizations operating in cyberspace and to suggest ways to address them. More specifically, the article identifies the key elements that an international humanitarian organization should consider in developing a cyber security strategy. Throughout, the International Committee of the Red Cross and its specificities are used as an example to illustrate the problems identified and the possible ways to address them.

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