Born to help

More than one hundred years of history, more than one hundred years of solidarity,sacrifice, more than one hundred years in the service of humanity. At first to the rescue of the wounded in war, the Red Cross is now the world leading humanitarian organization. The diversity of actions that develops in the field of relief, health and solidarity proves its spirit,always on the forefront of combating all forms of distress.


The Red Cross helps and supports people with disabilities, assists people at the end of their lives,helps breaking great solitudes. Wherever there is suffering, especially where human dignity is ignored, where the society no longer knows or can propose solutions, where it shows a need, where there is no shelter, the Red Cross brings its experience gained over more than a century of tradition.

For over a hundred years now its only thought has been the Human Being.


Faithful to its founder(Henry Dunant) commitment- "sooth all human suffering regardless of nationality, race, religion, social level or political affiliation"-the Red Cross extends this principle to all its actions.


The Italian Association of the Red Cross has been able to convey this pioneering spirit to thousands of volunteers today,to materialize its humanitarian vocation. Every year they put in place numerous programs to assist the most vulnerable by adopting specific responses to any particular problem.


Since the Red Cross has set itself the objective to remove the new difficult tasks with which the civil society is confronted, targets young people in difficulty, the homeless, the elderly which are isolated because of the physical conditions,the victims of countries in crisis situations. In one hundred years, the Red Cross has so became general and specialist upon needs, comming close to those whom the pain does not spare, in Italy and worldwide.


"We came to drive away the suffering,the misery,the isolation, we hold a constant concern not to turn our face to the test, an intense desire to spread the good and the rush of humanity, reason for what we are the Red Cross .



The Origins of the Red Cross

During the uprisings in Messina in 1848 a surgeon from Capua, Palasciano Ferdinando, a young army officer of bourbon, felt the moral duty to provide his care even to the wounded enemy despite the strict order given by General Filangieri not to treat the sicialian rebels.

This earned him the threat of being "passed through weapons" but through the intercession of King Ferdinand, his friend and supporter, the sentence was turned into a year's imprisonment to be served in Reggio Calabria.

Even during imprisonment Palasciano continued to assist the wounded neapolitans brought on vessels from Messina. After his release he continued being interested in military health issues and struggled with energy so that the neutrality of the wounded in war would be recognized.


Fall of the Bourbon monarchy, Palasciano could freely expose his ideas and, at the International Congress of the Academy Pontaniana, held in Naples in April 1861, stated: "All the belligerent powers should mutually recognize in the declaration of war the principle of neutrality of wounded combatants for their whole lengh care, and respectively adopt the principle that increases unlimitedly the health personnel during the whole time of war. " With this speech that had a widely reported echo throughout Europe and which, three years after, will form the basis of the Geneva Convention, Palasciano proclaimed (for the first time)one,and perhaps the most important one,of the fundamental principles of the Red Cross.

The principles proclaimed by Palasciano took shape thanks to the work of Henry Dunant,considered in full rights the founder of the Red Cross.

Dunant was born in Geneva on May 8,1828. In 1843 he joined a group of young people in the Free Church.In 1855,Paris,he founded the Alliance of Christian Union of Youth (YMCA).

A few years later he went to Algeria on business, becomes attached to the local culture, studies Islam and takes lessons of arabic. In 1858 he founds an agricultural company, the "Società Anonima dei mulini di Mons-Djemila", but despite the favorable conditions fails to obtain the choosen land. After several attempts decides to personally speak to Napoleon III because the land was french colony territory.

But the Emperor is in Lombardy at the head of the French army in favor of Italian independence against the Austrians, led by Francis Joseph. When Dunant arrived in Lombardy, in full of the Second Italian War of Independence,at Solferino bursts, on June 24, 1859, one of the bloodiest battles that Europe has ever experienced.

Dunant is shocked by the staggering number of wounded and dead, but mainly because they are left to themselves;more than 40,000 people lying on the battlefield.

"Here we hold an infighting battle, horrible,frightening, austrians and allies trampling,slaughtering rach other over the bleeding corpses,murdering each other with the butts of their guns, spliting their skulls, ripping themselves with their swords or bayonets; it's a struggle without quarter, a slaughterhouse, a combat of wild beasts, angry and drunk with blood, even the wounded defend themselves to the last: who no longer has a weapon grabs the opponent by the throat, tearing it with his teeth. "

Powerless facing these scenes of grief and despair, Dunant looks in vain for physicians, surgeons and nurses who can alleviate the suffering of the wounded.

"Dawn of the 25th,the sun shone on one of the most hideous sight imaginable. The battlefield is covered with dead bodies everywhere;the roads, the ravines, the cliffs,the stains;the lawns are littered with dead bodies and any access to Solferino are literally dotted. In the villages any mean is transformed into makeshift ambulances: churches, convents, homes, public squares, courtyards, streets, walks. "

The number of wounded is so considerable that it is impossible to look after them all.

"Then you experience miserable scenes like those of the previous day, although of a quite different kind, water and food there and yet the wounded are dying of hunger and thirst, and there are plenty of lint, but not enough hands to apply on wounds. It is therefore essential, for better or worse, to organize a voluntary service. "

Conscious, therefore, that the only thing to do is to appeal to the goodwill of the villagers, Dunant himself suddenly takes the part of a nurse and gathers men and women, procures water, broth, linen and bandages,goes back on the battlefield to collect others wounded. Despite everything he is well aware of the inadequacy of emergency assistance in relation to needs.

"This calls for volunteer nurses,diligent, prepared, initiated to this task, which officially recognized by the commanders of the armed forces, are facilitated and supported in carrying out their duties. Finally, at a time when we talk both of progress and civilization,since unfortunately wars cannot always be avoided, it is urgent to insist that we try, in a true spirit of humanity and civilization, to prevent or at least mitigate the horrors? "

In this regard, after the war, Dunant returned to Geneva, but he cannot forget those atrocities. Transfers all its bitterness, emotions, anguish and helplessness felt during the massacre in a book: "Souvenir de Solferino". His aim is to raise awareness for the realization of his project: to create a voluntary relief society in each state, with the task to organize and train teams for the care of the wounded in war. He proposes that the wounded and medical personnel are considered neutral by the warring parties, protected by a common hallmark.

The book is a success, has a wide resonance throughout Europe and immediately creates a climate conducive to the concrete realization of the ideals that it contains. In 1862 Dunant adheres to the "Public Utility Company of Geneva" and together with five other swiss citizens - the jurist Gustave Moynier, General Henry Dufour and the two doctors Theodore Louis and Appia Maun - founds a working committee, the "Genevan Committee of resque for the wounded soldiers", "first cell of what was to become the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The "Committee of five" builds on the ideas proposed by Dunant in his book and on October 26, 1863, organizes in Geneva an International Conference which includes 18 representatives from 14 countries which,on October 29, sign "The First Essential Charter " .The ten resolutions contained therein define the functions and resources of the rescue committees and represent the birth of the Movement.


The First Geneva Convention

The conflict that broke out between Prussia and Denmark in February 1864,gave the newborn"Società Nazionali di soccorso"their first opportunity to act and highlighted the difficulties that governments interpose to their work, obstacles that can be overcome only through "taking a serious commitment by the States as to ensure the protection of the personnel and the facilities for the care of the wounded".

The official recognition of the Relief Society should therefore take place through the conclusion of an international treaty.
The Swiss government offers its support for the initiaive by convening, on August 8,1864, a diplomatic conference with the participation of representatives from 12 governments, including the United States, the only non European power represented.
The Conference concludes on 1864 August 22 with the adoption of the first "Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the wounded in the country condition".
The document, composed of ten items, ensures neutrality and protection for ambulances and military hospitals, the staff of the health teams and the material used.
Protection is also extended to the civilian population that acts to rescue the wounded.

In the period following the adoption of the Convention of 1864 and as Member States will ratify the text, many National Societies of the Red Cross are founded also in countries outside the European cultural area. Collaboration between the various National Societies will be facilitated by the organization of regular non-institutionalized conferences to which representatives of the powers of the Parties to the Geneva Convention take part along with delegates of National Societies and of the Committee.

The first conference was held in Paris in 1867and it was followed by others but at irregular intervals because of the crises of war. The conflict between Austria and Prussia in 1866 and further more the war of 1870 between France and Prussia are showing initial positive regarding results. During the Franco-Prussian war, for the first time in the military history,an international system that deals with communicating with the families of soldiers wounded or killed in battle sratrs operating; the International Committee may send its delegates in POW camps even if this activity is not yet officially one of its prerogatives.

In 1912,at the IX International Conference in Washington the International Committee will be delegated to ensure relief to prisoners of war through the intermediary of neutral representatives accredited by the concerned governments.


International Humanitarian Law

With the Geneva Convention of 1864 humanitarian principles that are recognized internationally very quickly will gain visibility in the international humanitarian law.

From now on, the rescue activities of National Societies that, under the emblem of the Red Cross, are intended to act as contributory service of the health service for the army,are guaranteed. If it is true on one hand that the IHL has undergone significant developments since that first convention is also true that these are just the upgrade and expansion of universal basic principles established by it.

The principles of the Geneva Convention of 1864 are, in fact, reaffirmed and expanded the "International Declaration concerning the Laws and Customs of War," included after on in the texts of The Hague, July 29,1899, which also adopted a convention for the adaptation of principles asssigned in 1864 to the maritime war.

A number of conventions relating to armed conflict - war on land, sea, neutrality, etc.. - shall be adopted at Hague,October 18, 1907.

The First World War revealed the shortcomings of the rules until then formulated and in 1929 are adopted two agreements, one for the treatment war prisoners and another to improve the protection of wounded and sick on the basis of past experience.

During the Second World War, the fate of the people involved in the hostilities, and in particular of civilians, is tragic. At the end of the conflict is quite clear the need to revise the existing conventions and in 1946, convened by the Swiss Federal Council, Geneva reuintes a diplomatic conference which,on August 12,1949, adopted four Conventions. Precise rules protecting the civilian internees, the rights and obligations of an occupying power are clearly established and reprisals and deportations are being prohibited.

I The Geneva Convention for the improvement of the wounded and sick army members condition;

II Geneva Convention for the amelioration of the condition of wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of the marines;

Geneva Convention III relative to the treatment of prisoners of war;

Fourth Geneva Convention concerning the protection of civilians in time of war.

Signed the above,the parties states undertake to treat friends and enemies without any distinction, to respect the human being, the dignity of women, the rights of the family,the morals,the religious beliefs, prohibiting inhuman or degrading treatment, the capture of hostages, extermination, torture, summary executions, looting, acts of violence and wanton destruction of private property.

The delegates of the Red Cross International Committee are allowed to visit the camps of prisoners of war,the internees and to converse with the prisoners without witnesses.

On May 4, 1954 is adopted at Hague a "Convention for the Protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict." On December 10, 1976 the UN adopted a "Convention on the prohibition of the use of techniques in order to modify the natural enviroment for military purposes or for any other hostile purpose.

In 1977, a Diplomatic Conference adopted two new "Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of 1949" intended to supplement the standards of protection provided by the four Geneva Conventions.

The Protocol I extends the field of aplication and control, identifying better the personnel and the medical material and ensuring civilians a better protection from the effects of hostilities during international armed conflicts.

The Second Protocol concerns the protection of victims of non-international armed conflicts through a series of provisions designed to ensure the protection of wounded, sick and the civilian population in general and in particular of civilians deprived of their liberty.

On October 10, 1980 is adopted in Geneva a "Convention on the prohibition and restriction of the use of certain weapons which may be deemed to cause excessive traumatic effects or to strike indiscriminately.

History of the Red Cross