Open a Formal Investigation Into the Activities and Spending of the Red Cross in Ukraine
The Issue
This petition calls for three things:
- That charity regulators, politicians and other official bodies carry out a formal investigation into the Red Cross and the activities in Ukraine,
- That major businesses, organisations, and governments begin directing donations away from the Red Cross and towards Ukrainian-led organisations,
- That the ICRC is transparent about their activities in Ukraine and their relationship with Russia.
On February 24, as Ukrainians woke to the sound of explosions and air raid sirens, the International Committee of the Red Cross and their chapters around the world began a major fundraising drive.
To date, they have raised hundreds of millions, but this is the story of why if you really #StandWithUkraine, you won't send them another cent.
There have for some time been question marks hanging over what the Red Cross does and how they do it.
In 2017, American journalist Jonathan Katz covered their record on responding to disasters, and in short, it's not great.
In addition to simply being unorganised in the places they are raising money for, there isn't any transparency about what they do with the nearly $3 billion they raise each year. When pressed, the answers are often just vague stock quotes with no real substance.
As Katz points out, there's also not much they can do anyway, as they don't specialise in providing much of what's needed. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross did eventually begin distributing funds they had raised to better equipped organisations on the ground, but only after taking 9% for themselves.
A later ProPublica report found that confidential memos and emails, as well as the verified accounts of insiders, showed the repeated failings of the Red Cross' response in Haiti. The most notable of which was their claim of providing housing to over 130,000 people, when in reality the total number of homes actually built was just six — despite raising over $500,000,000.
Further investigations have found the Red Cross’ response to hurricanes in America has been just as troubling.
ProPublica also found that in 2012, the Red Cross housed sex offenders alongside vulnerable children because their staff “didn’t know/follow procedures.” In 2018, they reported how the Red Cross has helped a former executive get a new position at Save The Children, despite him having left the Red Cross in disgrace after being accused of sexual harassment and rape. This was hardly an isolated incident, with 21 other cases of sexual misconduct reported between 2015-18.
Looking more into their response to hurricanes in America only raises deeper concerns. Their actions after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 were widely criticised and described as criminal by some. Officials in Texas noted that the “Red Cross was not there,” after storms hit the state in 2017, adding that in may cases, they were simply ignored by the Red Cross altogether.
None of this so far has covered the issues identified with their Hurricane Sandy response in 2012, where they reassigned 15 emergency vehicles for a PR stunt, wasted thousands of dollars worth of food, left disabled victims in wheelchairs, and were so disorganised that they overlooked providing batteries for torches, but did remember to supply meals with pork ingredients to a Jewish retirement home.
Outside of the United States, the ICRC was widely criticised in Australia for their administrative spending, after publicly pledging that 100% of donations would go directly to a specific cause. Andrew Constance, the MP for Bega in NSW, further called out the Red Cross for the speed at which they were providing assistance and distributing the donations they had received.
In 2017, a report by the United Nations concluded that the actions of the ICRC in Syria amounted to the “war crime of forced displacement.”
Despite all of these previous reports, on February 24, the Red Cross once again became the superficial gold standard NGO to donate to, but what have they actually achieved in Ukraine?…
It is hard to find any positive story from their activities on the ground, but on March 31, their Russian chapter tweeted about supporting Ukrainians to leave Mariupol. Look a little deeper, and you’ll discover that at the time, the only corridor to leave the city was into Russian territory, or more specifically Russian filtration camps.
These camps have been described as alike to concentration camps, and a place where Ukrainians are tortured by Russian forces, with women and children raped. There are also reports of summary executions and starvation taking place at these locations.
On March 24, President of the ICRC Peter Maurer travelled to Moscow and met with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, a man international recognised as a war criminal and currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. This meeting effectively legitimised the actions of the Russian regime and was something they used as part of their propaganda efforts.
For their part, the ICRC defended the meeting, stating that they needed to remain neutral and meet with Russian officials in order to facilitate their work. It was later reported that the ICRC was intending to spend money donated to them, including by the Ukrainian people, in order to open an office inside Russia as part of efforts to assist the movement of Ukrainians.
It has been widely reported that Ukrainians are not travelling to Russia voluntarily — and why would they when we have seen that Russia are pursuing a genocide against them? — and that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped and forcibly adopted by Russian families.
Forced deportation is a war crime — there’s no debate to be had about that.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, the Red Cross’ record is dire. President Zelenskyy himself has stated that the Red Cross are endangering Ukrainians. Journalist Svitlana Panyushkina has spoken of how when she contacted the ICRC for help, she was told they couldn’t help.
After the murder of dozens of Ukrainians in Azovstal, the Red Cross was quick to claim they never guaranteed the safety of those captured and held at the facility, despite giving the impression they had.
Last month, following a prisoner swap which saw Ukrainian defenders freed, Dmity Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that none of those freed had seen an ICRC representative.
In the ICRC’s words, it isn’t within their power to do a lot of what people expect them to do… but then why are they continuing to raise money as though they are better than everyone else? Why not distribute it to those who can actually act?
Why This Matters
The Red Cross is often treated as though it’s above reproach and can’t be touched. There has never really been an official investigation into their actions, and certainly no accountability for them.
Where else would we continue giving millions to an organisation which has so many questions hanging over them?
Right now, everyone from our banks to the airlines we fly with, the supermarkets we shop at to the governments we elect, are continuing to donate to the Red Cross, often while making a point out of how they stand with Ukraine — seemingly just not enough to listen to their concerns.
Standing with Ukraine should mean that we listen to our Ukrainian friends and start turning our efforts to those organisations who will be there long after everyone else.
How You Can Make a Difference
For too long, the Red Cross has been able to act without genuine oversight, and by signing this petition, you're saying that it's time for accountability.
But don't just sign and share this petition, share the message too. Take the time to listen to Ukrainian voices about what's really happening on the ground, and read about the work of Ukrainian-led organisations set up by those whose lives are at risk everyday, and then share what you learn.
The Ukrainian people are right now fighting not only for their own freedoms, but for all of ours too. The least we owe them is our attention.
245
The Issue
This petition calls for three things:
- That charity regulators, politicians and other official bodies carry out a formal investigation into the Red Cross and the activities in Ukraine,
- That major businesses, organisations, and governments begin directing donations away from the Red Cross and towards Ukrainian-led organisations,
- That the ICRC is transparent about their activities in Ukraine and their relationship with Russia.
On February 24, as Ukrainians woke to the sound of explosions and air raid sirens, the International Committee of the Red Cross and their chapters around the world began a major fundraising drive.
To date, they have raised hundreds of millions, but this is the story of why if you really #StandWithUkraine, you won't send them another cent.
There have for some time been question marks hanging over what the Red Cross does and how they do it.
In 2017, American journalist Jonathan Katz covered their record on responding to disasters, and in short, it's not great.
In addition to simply being unorganised in the places they are raising money for, there isn't any transparency about what they do with the nearly $3 billion they raise each year. When pressed, the answers are often just vague stock quotes with no real substance.
As Katz points out, there's also not much they can do anyway, as they don't specialise in providing much of what's needed. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross did eventually begin distributing funds they had raised to better equipped organisations on the ground, but only after taking 9% for themselves.
A later ProPublica report found that confidential memos and emails, as well as the verified accounts of insiders, showed the repeated failings of the Red Cross' response in Haiti. The most notable of which was their claim of providing housing to over 130,000 people, when in reality the total number of homes actually built was just six — despite raising over $500,000,000.
Further investigations have found the Red Cross’ response to hurricanes in America has been just as troubling.
ProPublica also found that in 2012, the Red Cross housed sex offenders alongside vulnerable children because their staff “didn’t know/follow procedures.” In 2018, they reported how the Red Cross has helped a former executive get a new position at Save The Children, despite him having left the Red Cross in disgrace after being accused of sexual harassment and rape. This was hardly an isolated incident, with 21 other cases of sexual misconduct reported between 2015-18.
Looking more into their response to hurricanes in America only raises deeper concerns. Their actions after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005 were widely criticised and described as criminal by some. Officials in Texas noted that the “Red Cross was not there,” after storms hit the state in 2017, adding that in may cases, they were simply ignored by the Red Cross altogether.
None of this so far has covered the issues identified with their Hurricane Sandy response in 2012, where they reassigned 15 emergency vehicles for a PR stunt, wasted thousands of dollars worth of food, left disabled victims in wheelchairs, and were so disorganised that they overlooked providing batteries for torches, but did remember to supply meals with pork ingredients to a Jewish retirement home.
Outside of the United States, the ICRC was widely criticised in Australia for their administrative spending, after publicly pledging that 100% of donations would go directly to a specific cause. Andrew Constance, the MP for Bega in NSW, further called out the Red Cross for the speed at which they were providing assistance and distributing the donations they had received.
In 2017, a report by the United Nations concluded that the actions of the ICRC in Syria amounted to the “war crime of forced displacement.”
Despite all of these previous reports, on February 24, the Red Cross once again became the superficial gold standard NGO to donate to, but what have they actually achieved in Ukraine?…
It is hard to find any positive story from their activities on the ground, but on March 31, their Russian chapter tweeted about supporting Ukrainians to leave Mariupol. Look a little deeper, and you’ll discover that at the time, the only corridor to leave the city was into Russian territory, or more specifically Russian filtration camps.
These camps have been described as alike to concentration camps, and a place where Ukrainians are tortured by Russian forces, with women and children raped. There are also reports of summary executions and starvation taking place at these locations.
On March 24, President of the ICRC Peter Maurer travelled to Moscow and met with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, a man international recognised as a war criminal and currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. This meeting effectively legitimised the actions of the Russian regime and was something they used as part of their propaganda efforts.
For their part, the ICRC defended the meeting, stating that they needed to remain neutral and meet with Russian officials in order to facilitate their work. It was later reported that the ICRC was intending to spend money donated to them, including by the Ukrainian people, in order to open an office inside Russia as part of efforts to assist the movement of Ukrainians.
It has been widely reported that Ukrainians are not travelling to Russia voluntarily — and why would they when we have seen that Russia are pursuing a genocide against them? — and that hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped and forcibly adopted by Russian families.
Forced deportation is a war crime — there’s no debate to be had about that.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, the Red Cross’ record is dire. President Zelenskyy himself has stated that the Red Cross are endangering Ukrainians. Journalist Svitlana Panyushkina has spoken of how when she contacted the ICRC for help, she was told they couldn’t help.
After the murder of dozens of Ukrainians in Azovstal, the Red Cross was quick to claim they never guaranteed the safety of those captured and held at the facility, despite giving the impression they had.
Last month, following a prisoner swap which saw Ukrainian defenders freed, Dmity Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada’s Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that none of those freed had seen an ICRC representative.
In the ICRC’s words, it isn’t within their power to do a lot of what people expect them to do… but then why are they continuing to raise money as though they are better than everyone else? Why not distribute it to those who can actually act?
Why This Matters
The Red Cross is often treated as though it’s above reproach and can’t be touched. There has never really been an official investigation into their actions, and certainly no accountability for them.
Where else would we continue giving millions to an organisation which has so many questions hanging over them?
Right now, everyone from our banks to the airlines we fly with, the supermarkets we shop at to the governments we elect, are continuing to donate to the Red Cross, often while making a point out of how they stand with Ukraine — seemingly just not enough to listen to their concerns.
Standing with Ukraine should mean that we listen to our Ukrainian friends and start turning our efforts to those organisations who will be there long after everyone else.
How You Can Make a Difference
For too long, the Red Cross has been able to act without genuine oversight, and by signing this petition, you're saying that it's time for accountability.
But don't just sign and share this petition, share the message too. Take the time to listen to Ukrainian voices about what's really happening on the ground, and read about the work of Ukrainian-led organisations set up by those whose lives are at risk everyday, and then share what you learn.
The Ukrainian people are right now fighting not only for their own freedoms, but for all of ours too. The least we owe them is our attention.
Petition Updates
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Petition created on 6 October 2022