The red crystal is now official. The treaty which establishes the red crystal emblem became part of international law on Sunday, 14 January. Consequently the red crystal is now recognised in law as an additional protective emblem, with the same status as the red cross and red crescent.The red crystal emblem will help improve protection for military medical services and authorised humanitarian workers. It provides a neutral symbol for those States and National Societies which feel unable to identify with the red cross or red crescent.

The red crystal will help enhance protection to the victims of armed conflict and to those military medical and humanitarian personnel who come to their aid

Michael Meyer, British Red Cross

The red crystal was introduced following long-running negotiations to include the Israeli National Society (Magen David Adom) in the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. Israel's national society had been using the red Star of David emblem and wanted to continue to do so.

However, this prevented it from being admitted to the Movement, since a recognised National Society is required to use one of the emblems prescribed in the 1949 Geneva Conventions. Other National Societies also experienced difficulty using the red cross or red crescent.

There were also concerns that the red Star of David, if adopted as a protective emblem, would lead to a proliferation of such symbols and so undermine their protective value.

Non-partisan

It is hoped that the red crystal emblem, which is devoid of religious or other non-partisan connotations, will be universally accepted and its meaning understood. The red crystal, was adopted by a large majority of States at a diplomatic conference held in December 2005 in Geneva.
 
Antonella Notari, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, acknowledged it may take time for the emblem to be used and understood.

"It's legally now a protective emblem, but there's a lot of work to be done for it to be, in reality and concretely, a protective emblem because it needs to be known in the field and respected," she said.

Michael Meyer, head of international law at the British Red Cross, said: "The British Red Cross fully supports the adoption of the additional emblem. The red crystal will help enhance protection to the victims of armed conflict and to those military medical and humanitarian personnel who come to their aid."

Flexibility

One advantage of the treaty establishing the red crystal is that it permits greater flexibility in use of a protective emblem. Military medics will be able to display it where the red cross or red crescent may not enjoy respect. National Societies, with the permission of their government, may also use it on a temporary basis to facilitate their humanitarian work.

When used in armed conflicts, the red crystal will be used on its own. However, a National Society, with government approval, may put one or more established emblems within the red crystal frame for identification purposes.

History

The founding Conference of the Red Cross Movement in 1863 adopted a red cross on a white background – the reverse of the Swiss flag – as the emblem of the voluntary medical personnel who assisted the wounded on the battlefield.  The emblem was never intended to have any religious meaning, and is thought to have been intended as a tribute to Switzerland, which hosted the conference and was the home of the initiators of the conference.

But the symbol unintentionally reminded soldiers of the then Ottoman Empire of the Christian crusaders, and they began using a red crescent emblem instead.

Delicio.us  |   Digg  |   NewsVine  |   Reddit                                                                                  Permalink