ICRC is sending its first emergency relief team of 12 people to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake from Geneva early tomorrow morning. They will support staff already in place.
Children and war - ICRC calls for children to be offered better protection in countries at war
Launching a special report on internally displaced people (IDPs), the ICRC points out that an estimated 26 million people had fled their homes as a result of armed conflict by the end of 2008.*
Since fighting intensified in eastern Congo in August 2008 between government troops and armed opposition groups, the number of opposition groups, the number of cases of rape and other sexual abuse against civilians has been increasing.
The report, entitled Our world. Views from the field, offers a stark vision of the experiences, needs and hopes of people struggling under the impact of violence.
This broadcast quality footage is a compilation of recent images illustrating the work of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement worldwide, namely the international Committee of the Red Cross, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the 186 National Societies active in their respective countries.
In areas ravaged by conflict, the health needs of women are often neglected and ignored. As the bombs fall, the damage to infrastructure and communications affects the whole community but women are particularly at risk. They are often prevented from reaching a health facility to give birth safely, or to care for their sick children. In some conflict-torn areas they suffer sexual violence, including rape. And while the war-wounded and emergency cases get priority, women's needs, and in particular the needs of pregnant mothers and their children, are often given scant attention.
As Egypt prepares to host an international conference in Sharm el-Sheikh (starting 2 March) the ICRC warns that emergency aid and reconstruction will not be enough to resolve the crisis in Gaza unless there is a prospect of a lasting peace.
Since the January 18 ceasefire in Gaza, the full extent of the destruction is becoming clearer. Three weeks of intense conflict have taken a heavy toll on civilians who are still mourning their dead and searching for possessions in the shattered ruins of their homes.
ICRC URGES STATES TO SIGN AND RATIFY NEW TREATY BANNING CLUSTER MUNITIONS
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