The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), supported by the European Union (EU) and in collaboration with the Swedish Red Cross, will be broadcasting a short film on the risks to health-care '#NotATarget' in Filmstaden cinemas across Sweden from 4 November to 17 November 2019. The film screening is part of the 'Health-Care in Danger' campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the all too often existent dangers of providing health-care outside the EU.
With this short film #NotATarget, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Swedish Red Cross and the European Union want to address the widespread and severe impact of illegal and often violent acts that obstruct the delivery of healthcare, damage or destroy facilities and vehicles, and injure or kill healthcare workers and patients.
Based on humanitarian operational experience and different studies done on the subject, the Red Cross and the EU believe that the lack of safe access to health care in conflict or other emergencies is affecting millions of people. Yet, the significance of this issue is not fully appreciated. For the Red Cross, healthcare includes hospitals, clinics, first-aid posts and ambulances.
For this campaign, the scene depicting a father trying to save the life of his daughter was chosen as a symbol of universalism and humanity. What is not allowed here in Europe, should also not be allowed 'there' where armed conflicts occur. In the field, the effect of just one violent incident directed against medical personnel or facilities may be felt by hundreds or even thousands of people. A single act of violence that damages a hospital or kills healthcare workers has a knock-on effect, depriving many patients of treatment they would have otherwise received from the facility or workers in question.
The Health-Care in Danger project seeks to understand the complexity of the issue with the aim of raising awareness and increasing the knowledge of relevant institutions worldwide, as well as informing the general public about this critical humanitarian problem. Recognizing the complexity of the issues at hand, key stakeholders, notably at the EU level, were mobilized to find practical solutions within their own spheres of responsibility. The outcomes of these consultations, recommendations and practical measures are being used as a basis to produce technical tools for the different target audiences. The ICRC, the Swedish Red Cross and the European Union believe that mobilizing the European public opinion could have also an impact in the countries where the issue is of immediate operational concern.
