The International Red Cross Movement
With every disaster or war one organization always hits the news. The Red Cross is known as an international humanitarian movement with the mission to protect human life and health. It strives to ensure that human beings are respected, and they do all they can to prevent, or alleviate human suffering, all without discrimination of nationality, race, religious convictions, class or political views.
Many people use the term “International Red Cross” when in reality there is no such organization officially bearing that name. In reality, the International Red Cross consists of a number of legally independent district organizations who are all united within the Movement, and are only linked together because they have several basic principles, statutes, objectives, symbols and governing organs in common.
The International Red Cross Movement consists of the Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which exists in almost every country in the world, including Croatia. The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement promote equal status for all Societies worldwide, which includes sharing equal responsibilities and the duty to help one another.
The International Red Cross Society of Croatia has been active in the country since 1878. During that time it performed humanitarian activities such as bringing relief to wounded and sick soldiers, actions which were recognized as being in compliance with the internationally accepted principles of the Movement.
The Red Cross Society of Croatia, a large national, humanitarian and voluntary organization comprising County, City and Municipal Red Cross branches, including a district in Vukovar, is not government funded. It operates through its many volunteers, supporters and professionals who have helped many people over the years, during times of personal strife, war conflicts and natural disasters.