Military Corps of the CRI and the role of the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies as auxiliaries of Health Services of Armed Forces
One of the key principles that underpins the National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent has always been to bring relief to the civilian and military victims of armed conflicts and thus to serve as auxiliary health services FF. AA.of the respective countries.
This is the traditional role played by each Red Cross society since the beginning of the Red Cross Movement and this auxiliary role towards the Health Services of Armed Forces is enshrined in both the Geneva Convention of August 22, 1864 and the resolution adopted in its diplomatic conference. Article no.6 of this resolution explicitly stipulates that the personnel provided by the committees to serve the cause (now the National Societies of Red Cross) should be placed "sous la direction des chefs militaires".
This traditional role is then transposed in Article 26 of the 1st Geneva Convention of August 12,1949 that assimilates by all means the staff of National Red Cross Societies to the military medical personnel of the armed forces,duly recognized and authorized by its government.
In the final part of this article this assimilation of the military personnel of the Red Cross to the military medical personnel of the armed forces is being conditioned to be subjected to the "military laws and regulations."
Therefore historically there is no doubt that the key role of National Societies of Red Cross and Red Crescent was to work,in the event of war, with the military health services of their respective countries through their own staff ;staff subject to the laws and military regulations.
Such auxiliar role is duly incorporated as a condition "in recognition of National Societies by Resolution XII of the Eighteenth International Conference of the Red Cross in Stockholm in 1948"- the countries that dispose of armed forces in that resolution are refered to the requirements of Article no26 of the 1st Geneva Convention of 1949. The auxiliar role to the health services of the armed forces is still implicitly confirmed in the conditions for recognition of National Societies provided for in art.4, paragraph 6) of the Statute of the International Movement of Red Cross, which explicitly refers to "/ a préparation dès le temps de paix aia taches qui lui incomberli au cas de conflit arme" .
Historically, the Italian Association of the Red Cross has always been structured with a specific,sometimes dominant role in finalizing the auxiliar service to the armed forces. Since June 1, 1866, Circular No. 2146 of War Ministry ,it was expected from CRI to form "voluntary ambulance squadrons composed of health officers and nurses".Called" teams",intended to be aggregated to auxiliary ambulances of the headquarters of each army corps or to divisional ambulances,they are taken to be an integrant to any service that regards the above mentioned units.
Moreover, during their presence on the field,the staff of the teams had to be subject to military orders and discipline same way as the military health personnel itself whoms duties and rights were assumed"in toto".
The original uniform choosen by the association was also changed. Under the new ministerial regulations it came close as style and color to that of the Army.
Subsequent legislation changes were reached RDL of May 23, 1915 amended by R.D.L. July 25, 1915 which during the 1st World War allowed the efficient government of about 18,000 men and the proper function of more than 400 units.
According to this law the auxiliary personnel is declared military ,stated subject to the military discipline and has to wear a military-style uniform with a special badge of the unit. (Dr. G. Villa Santa - Lt. Col. me. - "The Health Service in Peace and War"-Florence 1925).
Subsequently Part.7 of "Sorting and Operation of the CRI" approved with R.D.L. n.2034 08/10/1928 and amended with R.D.L.n84 February 12, 1930,gave the C.R.I. the authority to recruit volunteers specifying that when "called into service,they are military and as such they are subject to the provisions of the rules of discipline and the penal code of the army. The calls are made by the association by precept" .
In 1936 was enacted R.D.L. n.484 that equalized the CRI staff recalled to service by precept to the military medical personnel. The rules in this decree considered as special law provide,with articles no29 and 249,that the personnel called into service should be military to all intents and purposes,should dress military-style uniforms and be subject to the rules of military discipline and under the jurisdiction of Military Justice.The auxiliar military role of the CRI personnel was further confirmed by articles no10 and 11 of Presidential Decree 613 of July31,1980 with legal status.
According to what above exposed the auxiliary role of health services of the armed forces has always been held firm by the Italian Red Cross as its institutional assignment,assignment that takes form with a self internal organization established for that purpose by the Military Corps and Volunteer Nursing Corps both auxiliar to the armed forces.
In fact, both in the statute approved by D.P.C.M. 7.3. 97 n. 110 and the next approved byD.P.C.M. 3.7.02 n208,among CRI tasks figure,at paragraph A,the "evacuation and care of war's injured and sick and of the collateral victims of armed conflicts and the tasks of health and welfare related to the activities of civil defense in accordance with the four Geneva Conventions of August 12,1949 "
The role of the Red Cross Auxiliary Corps of the armed forces,well in line with the principles underlying the International Movement of Red Cross - relief to the wounded and sick in armed conflicts, is considered to be perfectly compatible with the fundamental principles of the Movement approved by the 20th International Conference in Vienna in 1965, which are duly incorporated in the existing regulation.
Communication contact -Capt. Pettini Andrea
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Army Division
