Red Cross Talks (Page 131)

How relevant is international humanitarian law in modern conflicts? This depends on whether the laws are applied and respected. It’s also important to remember that “laws of war” are constantly changing.

These are a few of the perspectives presented recently at the second annual International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Conference held at the University of Calgary. 

Thousands of people have been affected after Cyclone Pam, a category 5 storm, made landfall in Port Vila, Vanuatu, on Friday, March 13. This was the strongest tropical storm to make landfall since Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013. 

Not sure how March break came around so fast this year. It was just February and the polar vortex aka “Canadian Winter” engulfed most of the country. Yet here it is finally – the time of year I look most forward to – when I escape the grey of Canada and go south with my family. 
 
To help me focus on packing I had to make a list so I didn’t forget anything. There’s the easy stuff – shorts, swimsuits, t-shirts, sunscreen. But how many pairs of flip flops is too many?
 

Sara came to Turkey two years ago, fleeing conflict in her hometown. “Many of us saw very bad things happening,” she said. “We are adults but there are many children needing psychological support as they experienced a lot of trauma. They need to be able to express what they feel.”

Zeytan and her family came to Turkey less than year ago, after her father went missing.

“We don’t know where he is,” Zeytan’s mother said. “We waited as much as we could but it was not safe there anymore. I was pregnant and with a little baby. We crossed the border running, with nothing, just what we could carry.”

The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.

As a result of the Syrian conflict, there are currently 82,000 Syrians refugees living in Erbil, Iraq, according to Iraqi Red Crescent figures. Refugees are scattered all around the city but it’s not hard to find them. They are living in garages, unfinished buildings, and informal settlements and shelters. A few lucky families have found a room to rent.

As we mark International Women’s Day, we want to share the moving story of Mama, a mother from Mali, where we are working to improve the lives and overall health of both women and children.