COVID-19: Preparedness and response in detention
Safeguarding the health of detainees, staff and communities. COVID-19 poses challenges in places of detention, given the specific vulnerabilities of detainees and difficulty of containing outbreaks …
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Sudan: Staying at home and stopping work, not an option for everyone
In these uncertain and extremely worrying times, not everyone can practise social distancing, or afford not to work. Take, for example, Rahama Hassan Abdalla and Khadija Adam Omar. Both are …
Bangladesh: Protecting detainees from COVID-19
An outbreak of COVID-19 in a prison could have devastating effects on both the detainees and the staff, especially in an overcrowded facility where the health-care system is already burdened. Working …
Sri Lanka: Supporting authorities to protect detainees and public health during COVID-19
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) delegation in Sri Lanka is supporting the national authorities in their efforts to protect the public and the detainee population against the …
Malaysia: Swift action by authorities reduces COVID-19 risk in prisons
Kuala Lumpur – Taking swift action to protect prison populations from exposure to novel coronavirus disease ( COVID-19 ), the Malaysian authorities have stopped pronouncing custodial sentences as …
Ethiopia: A boost to maternal health
More than 20 years ago, Hamida Hassan helped to deliver Fowziya as a traditional birth attendant. With her bare hands and no medical equipment, Hamida received Fowziya into the world, wrapped her in …
Simultaneous release and transfer operation completed smoothly
ICRC, Kyiv – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has participated today in an operation of simultaneous transfer and release of detainees with the main aim to confirm through a …
Why migrants are particularly vulnerable during the pandemic
Many migrants find themselves with limited access, if any, to information about risks, prevention measures, health care and other essential services. Migrants in transit, those in need of …
Management of the dead under Islamic Law
This document discusses a number of contemporary issues and challenges pertinent to the management of the dead in contemporary armed conflicts and other situations of violence and natural disasters …
COVID-19: What happens when a lot of people die at the same time?
In New York city, mass-grave burials have quintupled. In Madrid, a skating rink was used as a morgue. If cities like this are struggling to cope with the COVID-19 death toll, what can we expect in …
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Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.