Who and What is the Canadian Red Cross?
Image is courtesy of Canadian Red Cross.
Background Information
The Canadian Red Cross movement began in 1896 and was founded by George Sterling Ryerson. George Sterling Ryerson was enlisted in the militia and was dispatched to end the Northwest rebellion in 1885 where he applied a Red Cross to his horse-drawn ambulance to protect it from harm. The Red Cross movement was first recognized and established by Henry Dunant in 1861 who had witnessed many horrors of the battle of Solferino, which then triggered a worldwide concern after he recorded the catastrophe. His study influenced the neutrality of medical personnel in battles as well as medical care for the wounded. George oversaw the success of the international Red Cross over Europe and decided to assemble a Canadian branch that raised money for relief combatants. In 1909, the Canadian government accepted the Red Cross society act, which created society accountable for volunteer aid in relation to the Geneva convention.
Needs and Concerns the Canadian Red Cross Addresses
The Red Cross is an independent neutral organization movement, regularly upholding governments to adjust international humanitarian laws to a more dynamic way of life, on occasion to modern developments in situations of warfare, to generate a more solidified shield as well as support for conflict victims. The Red Cross is devoted to avoiding and diminishing human distress in warfare and emergencies.
Image is courtesy of Canadian Red Cross.
Policies and Laws the Canadian Red Cross Would Like to Affect
The Red Cross motivates facilities and governments while advocating for humanitarian rights and activities executed by the members of the organization on behalf of the most unstable civilians in society. The volunteers are coordinated in areas that are in urgent need of assistance to victims that are exposed to disasters as well as violence and situations of warfare. The Red Cross takes effect to emergencies while ensuring respect for international humanitarian laws that are enforced by national laws, thus limiting the horrible outcomes of armed conflict and methods of warfare. An example is implementing international humanitarian law and other legal bases in West Africa where support is needed for the population that is suffering.
Actions the Canadian Red Cross Takes to Promote and Achieve Its Goals
The Red Cross takes four approaches to promote and achieve the humanitarian tasks set out for them. These four approaches include: the protection, assistance, cooperation and prevention approach.
The protection approach enforces that the government does its role in society while ensuring the well-being of individuals enabling violations of international humanitarian law and analyzing the situation of violations. An example of the protection approach that the Red Cross has taken is the acceptance of the modified version of the Geneva convention in 1929 to deliver a more solidified shield as well as support for conflict victims.
The assistance approach concerns the actions of violation of international humanitarian law and other legal bases that may add to the situation, as the Red Cross provides the needs of the vulnerable population. An action that the Red Cross has taken concerning the assistance approach is sending relief supplies across the world to those in need during the second world war.
The cooperation approach objective is to strengthen the portion to socialize amongst national societies, as the Red Cross makes use of the corresponding mandates. An action that the Red Cross has taken concerning the cooperation approach is remaining a neutral organization during the period of World War 2 so they could carry on actively throughout their missions.
The prevention approach aims to avert distress by affecting those who consist of a direct or indirect impact to the circumstances, in which the Red Cross promotes and clarifies the enforcement of international humanitarian law and other legal bases, as they welcome the work of Red Cross. An example of the prevention approach that the Red Cross has taken is looking in on prisoners of war as they negotiated with governments over weapons and machinery that brought on extreme distress.
Image is courtesy of Canadian Red Cross.
Challenges and Problems the Canadian Red Cross Faces
The Red Cross needs the trust of all parties involved in the violation of international humanitarian law and other legal bases so that they can better the situation. Merging effectiveness and credibility notwithstanding time, region, as well as the selection of needs, is a long-lasting problem for the organization, by reason that it must provide evidence that it may be practical and creative for the mission to be effective. Persuasion is also another challenge that the Red Cross faces because if the government does not take responsibility for the international humanitarian law and other legal bases, the Red Cross cannot enforce anything on the population by any means. Therefore, the only solution is to persuade the government to take action on these matters.
Qualifications That Consider the Canadian Red Cross as a Global Citizen
The Red Cross is considered a global citizen because it is an independent neutral organization that has been adopted by 191 national societies that try to affect international humanitarian law and other legal bases to provide more suitable circumstances for the population. The Red Cross contributes to countries in the cry of help that are devoted to avoiding and diminishing distress in warfare.
References
"About us." 2019. 6 January 2019. <https://www.redcross.ca/how-we-help/current-emergency-responses>.
"International comitee of the Red Cross." 2018. 6 January 2019.<https://www.icrc.org/en/mandate-and-mission>.
"Red cross society." 2015. 6 January 2019. <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/red-cross-society>.
The ICRC its mission and work. PDF. Geneva, 2009. 6 January 2019. <file:///C:/Users/mom-dad/Downloads/0963_002_The_ICRC_its_mission_and_work_low.pdf>.
Article Author: Fariah Sandhu
Article Editors: Victoria Huang, Sherilyn Wen