Prinses Margriet houdt toespraak bij uitreiking Rode Kruis onderscheidingen in Californië
Hare Koninklijke Hoogheid Prinses Margriet der Nederlanden houdt donderdag 5 oktober 2000 in Californië een toespraak bij de uitreiking van de 2000 Clara Barton Spectrum Awards for Outstanding Women in Orange County.
Clara Barton was 1881 de oprichtster van het Rode Kruis in Amerika. Daarnaast heeft zij zich ingezet voor het stemrecht voor vrouwen, voor verbeteringen in het onderwijs en hervorming van het gevangeniswezen.
De afdeling Orange County van het Amerikaanse Rode Kruis kent de Clara Barton Spectrum Awards jaarlijks toe aan vrouwen die vorm geven aan het gedachtegoed van Clara Barton en een bijzondere bijdrage leveren aan de kwaliteit van het leven in Orange County op het gebied van onder andere onderwijs, kunst, milieu, volksgezondheid en vrijwilligerswerk.
Prinses Margriet houdt haar toespraak in de hoedanigheid van voorzitter van de Standing Commission van de Internationale Organisatie van het Rode Kruis en de Rode Halve Maan.
In haar toespraak gaat de Prinses ondermeer nader in, zoals blijkt uit onderstaande fragmenten, op de taak en doelstellingen van het Rode Kruis en de problemen waar deze organisatie zich voor ziet geplaatst.
"World-wide more than 100 million volunteers and 125.000 professional staff are responsible for immediate response in disaster situations, for community mobilisation, and continuity in fields as social work, healthcare, or blood transfusion. We build bridges where racial, religious, ethnic, political and social tensions may separate people".
"We in the Red Cross are, unfortunately, frequently confronted with the sad truth that theory and reality are two very different things, that respect for human rights, and observance of the Geneva Conventions, often amount to little more than lip service.
We know this problem exists, have seen the consequences with our own eyes, and we try to bring about change. Not by exerting external pressure, but by working within countries themselves, and drawing the attention of the people and parties involved to their responsibility to comply with agreements, rules and laws, and to respect fundamental rights. That is our mandate".
"Although The Red Cross is not a political pressure group, we have succeeded, in other ways, in bringing issues to the fore. The use of some types of weapons has now been restricted, and in 1995 the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies took a unanimous decision to work for a total ban on anti-personnel landmines. The ICRC already in the early '70s started the discussion on child soldiers, and recently we have plead for a ban on cluster bombs. We do that on behalf of the citizens, since it is primarily citizens in nowadays conflicts that are the victims. The distinction between combatants and civilians seems to have disappeared: in WW I 90% of the victims were combatants. In contemporary conflicts 90% are civilians, innocent children, men and women.
The recent "people on war" study, executed by the ICRC, shows that on average 30% of the respondents to interviews has a relative killed. Overall 1/3 of the population is forced to leave their domicile, 1/3 of the houses is destroyed, and/or looted.
The rule that women and children are entitled to special protection is subject to erosion. (You can find this study in detail on the
ICRC web-site
.) The 300.000 child soldiers make clear that children are more than an incidental target in contemporary conflicts".
"It is obvious that we have to plead on behalf of the citizens. We have to intensify our efforts in the promotion and acceptance of international humanitarian law by all relevant actors in armed conflict situations and to explain and communicate our Fundamental Principles, inside the Movement and externally to local authorities and the community".