![]() The emblems must not be used without first obtaining the written permission of the Minister for Defence, and penalties apply is the emblem is misused. In Australia, the Red Cross and Red Crescent emblems are protected by the Geneva Conventions Act 1957. It can only be used in specially designated circumstances, and the use of the emblem in any non-authorised situations was prohibited. So successful was the emblem, that commercial enterprises began to capitalise on the good will of the symbol, with makers of medical supplies, household goods, even ladies shoes, branding themselves as “red cross”.Ĭoncerned that such commercialisation would devalue the Red Cross emblem, and perhaps even cause confusion in times of armed conflict, the 1949 Geneva Conventions included an international law protecting the Red Cross. In the decades following the adoption of the Red Cross, the emblem was widely used by armed forces and the Committee as a sign of medical aid and care. It was followed in later years by the Red Crescent, and then in 2005, the Red Crystal. In order to maintain its status as neutral, non-partisan, humanitarian care-givers, the Committee realised it would need some kind of distinctive symbol, worn on one’s person.Ī white cloth with a red cross was suggested – likely a tribute to the Swiss flag, which is a white cross on a red background. Wouldn’t it be better, Dunant reasoned, for there to be an organisation that could attend to the wounded without favour or prejudice, so that no one was left behind to suffer and die needlessly?ĭunant’s idea eventually gave birth to the International Committee for Relief to Wounded Soldiers – which eventually became the International Committee of the Red Cross. The French, Sardinian, and Austrian medical personnel attending the armed forces at Solferino had been woefully understaffed. On Dunant’s return to his home in Geneva, he was moved to write a short polemic, A Memory of Solferino, calling on nations to establish some kind of organisation that could assist the wounded and sick in the armed forces in times of armed conflict. For three days the villagers of nearby Castiglione, Dunant among them, brought the injured food, water, and shelter, and buried the dead. Nearly 40,000 men were dead or wounded, left behind as their respective armies retreated. Dunant was on a business trip to northern Italy in June 1859, when he came across the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino – one of the bloodiest battles fought during the Italian Wars of Independence. The Red Cross came into being as a result of the advocacy work of a Swiss businessman, Henri Dunant. But why should we care? Why is this symbol protected, and does a naughty nurse outfit really matter to the aid workers who venture into war zones? If you see the cross somewhere it shouldn’t be, send a report and the Red Cross will act. The Australian Red Cross recently released an app to monitor misuse of their emblem. Producer George Adams told the Australian Red Cross that, until they contacted him, he – like most Australians – had no idea it was protected:Įveryone recognised it was an honest mistake and certainly wasn’t in the spirit of the show … We were genuinely horrified that we had in any way put the Red Cross in such a situation where the emblem could be denigrated or belittled. ![]() When Australian drama Doctor Blake used a bloody red cross in its advertising for the show, there was no intention of misuse. The Red Cross (and its associated emblems, the Red Crescent and the Red Crystal) are internationally protected symbols. The Red Cross has become a generic sign of medical aid, a universal logo for health and help.Įxcept that it isn’t, and shouldn’t be – at least, not how you might think. The Red Cross is a symbol we all know well – we see it everywhere, on pharmacy signs, children’s dress-ups, toy sets, Halloween costumes, even ads for mobile phone repairers. The Australian Red Cross recently released an app to monitor misuse of its emblem.
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