When communities are devastated by conflict or disaster, humanitarian workers risk their lives to deliver critical aid. This work is safeguarded by international humanitarian law (IHL), which mandates protection for aid organisations to ensure they can operate safely. The red cross and red crescent emblems are some of the most well-known examples of the protective power of IHL in action, and respect for them is crucial to the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. However, a growing disregard for IHL is making it increasingly challenging for humanitarian organisations to deliver assistance to communities that urgently need it.
Adopted under the Geneva Conventions, the red cross and red crescent emblems are protective symbols under IHL, meaning those who display one or the other can expect safe passage in the world’s most hostile environments. However, numerous breaches of IHL have made headlines in recent years, with strikes on vehicles, buildings, and individuals bearing one of the emblems provoking global condemnation and risking serious legal consequences.
When IHL is not upheld, the consequences can be devastating, not only for those who risk their lives to provide aid but also for the millions of people who rely on it. Examples of this include the Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS), which has faced numerous strikes on aid personnel and vehicles due to disregard for the red cross emblem, endangering the lives of its workers. Repeated strikes on aid vehicles in Sudan have also made it increasingly difficult for the Sudanese Red Crescent to provide assistance, hindering humanitarian work and resulting in loss of life.
A Ukrainian Red Cross Society emergency team responds to shelling (top); the Italian Red Cross providing support in Ukraine. Photographs: Ukraine Red Cross Society; Annalisa Ausilio/Italian Red Cross
And in Afghanistan, one of the most challenging environments for humanitarian efforts, the Afghan Red Crescent has encountered opposition, with disregard for the emblem, including the targeting of medical facilities, worsening the plight of civilians. Most recently, in Palestine, restricted access and strikes on ambulances and medical personnel have sometimes prevented the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) from reaching those in need.
Fatima Skaik, head of community work at PRCS, from Gaza and based in the West Bank, says: “IHL must be respected and upheld to preserve human life and dignity in times of armed conflicts and emergencies. Our ultimate goal is to reach all the people who need our assistance, no matter who they are, where they are and whenever they need it.”
Disregard for the emblem doesn’t just result in those using it being struck. “These symbols effectively mean ‘don’t shoot’ and are used to mark military medical services and organisations like ours during armed conflicts, so when these emblems are misunderstood or disregarded, as we’ve seen in places from Afghanistan and Gaza to Myanmar and Sudan, the consequences are severe,” says Claire Clement, director of international law and policy at the British Red Cross. “It also means the destruction of vital health services, which are protected under IHL, for people caught up in conflict who desperately need those services because they’re sick and injured.”
Claire Clement, British Red Cross director of international law and policy. Photograph: Ruth Samuels/British Red Cross
URCS international humanitarian law adviser, Ievgeniia Lukianchenko, says: “For us, respecting the emblem is very important because it directly affects our work in the field, including our ability to gain access to areas where there are civilians who need our support.”
It’s important to recognise that IHL and the emblems continue to protect people in conflicts every day, although instances where IHL is respected may go unnoticed because they are less newsworthy. “Despite these worrying trends, there is still significant respect for the law, evidenced by the number of countries that are signed up to the central treaties of humanitarian law,” says Clement.
As for what’s giving rise to growing disregard for the emblems and the laws that underpin them, Clement points to the increasingly polarised nature of our world – it’s simply more challenging to maintain the neutrality that is central to the work of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement when taking sides is a cultural norm. “Serving people based solely on need, without regard to political, religious, or other affiliations, and not taking sides has become harder in today’s conflicts,” says Clement. Disinformation and misinformation, particularly around the facts surrounding incidents in conflicts also undermine the strength and neutrality of the emblems and humanitarian law, hampering humanitarian efforts further.
The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement works tirelessly to ensure that the neutrality of its humanitarian work and the importance of the underlying framework of humanitarian law are deeply understood. Neutrality is especially important to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement because it gives the assurance that it doesn’t take sides and is thus not a threat. “Neutrality isn’t just a stance for us; it’s an operational principle that is crucial to our work, underpinning the trust and credibility we build, both with the communities we serve and with the governments, militaries, and armed groups we must engage with,” says Clement.
There are numerous examples of the power of neutrality in humanitarian work, but Clement points to the fact that her colleagues in Afghanistan have been able to negotiate space to carry out vital services – including essential maternal health programmes for women and girls – in a highly restrictive environment.
Speaking about how the principle of neutrality makes it possible to provide aid and evacuate people in conflict areas such as Ukraine, URCS’s Lukianchenko, says: “One example is the support provided to people close to the front lines. Other international organisations don’t have access to territories where there are hostilities, but the Ukrainian Red Cross has staff and volunteers from those areas, and they communicate with the authorities controlling that area. This is only possible because of the principles and reputation of the Red Cross as a neutral organisation – nobody questions the mission of the Red Cross, they don’t view our mission as political.”
While it might appear that there’s a climate of impunity around IHL, the law does, in fact, impose very specific and extensive obligations on states to ensure enforcement. “States are required to investigate violations of IHL and have the necessary domestic systems, courts, and mechanisms in place to do so effectively,” says Clement. “Serious violations – war crimes – can also be prosecuted in international courts.”
A Red Cross and Red Crescent assessment in Khan Younis. Photograph: Yousef Alyazji/ICRC
The primary role of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is not the enforcement of the legal framework but to ensure safe access to communities to meet their basic needs. Nevertheless, Clement says the enforcement of these laws is critical to strengthening trust and ensuring that humanitarian work can proceed safely. “While it’s not our role to become involved in prosecuting violations, we encourage states to uphold their IHL obligations to ensure that law is enforced.”
On the impact of apparent growing disregard for the red cross and red crescent emblems and IHL, Clement says that it’s impossible to overstate how it is affecting the safety and morale of staff and volunteers in areas of conflict. “This increasing lack of respect makes them feel vulnerable – some have told me they feel like they’re simply waiting to die when they go out to do their jobs,” she says. “For both our colleagues and the communities they serve, this disregard creates a profound sense of abandonment. There’s a perception that the international community doesn’t care, or that political interests have overtaken the value of human lives.”
Ultimately, the protection of the humanitarian mission is a moral obligation, not merely a legal one. It is essential for the good of humanity that IHL is upheld and that the red cross and red crescent emblems – and the hope they represent – are respected by all.
“We owe it to these brave individuals and the vulnerable communities they support to strengthen the law, educate others on its importance, and encourage governments to ensure better accountability,” says Clement. “It’s not just about legal obligations – it’s about ensuring that people on the ground feel safe and valued as they carry out critical humanitarian work.”
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