Emblems of protection
The red cross, red crescent and red crystal are international emblems of protection and neutrality in situations of armed conflict.
The emblems identify people or facilities engaged in the provision of medical aid or humanitarian assistance, and in any language they mean 'Don't shoot!'
Those who wear or work under the emblems are to be protected at all times. Protected people include medical personnel and chaplains attached to military forces, and humanitarian workers including Red Cross or Red Crescent delegates. Medical sites, vehicles and equipment are also marked and protected. Deliberately misusing the emblems to gain a military advantage is perfidy, and is a war crime.
Use of the emblems
As well as the protective purpose of the emblems, National Societies such as Australian Red Cross may use the emblem in peacetime to indicate that a person or object is linked to the Movement. Red Cross is specifically given this right by government authorities, but even then there are strict regulations about the way it is used. Red Cross does not 'own' the emblem.
In Australia, the red cross and red crescent emblems are protected by the Geneva Conventions Act 1957. In a domestic situation the emblems must not be used without first obtaining the written permission of the Minister for Defence, and under Commonwealth law, penalties may apply. Red Cross is charged with following up on misuses, found most commonly in medical and commercial spheres, and takes this role very seriously. Misuse, or simple lack of understanding, in peacetime is likely to weaken the effectiveness of the emblems within a war zone.
Development of the red crystal
Despite the red cross and red crescent being intended only as neutral humanitarian emblems, on occasion, over decades, they were wrongly perceived as having religious, cultural and political connotations. Sadly this diminished the protection they offered to vulnerable people in conflict zones.
The solution, endorsed by governments and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, was the creation of a third emblem, known as the red crystal. In December 2005, at a Diplomatic Conference, the nations party to the Geneva Conventions adopted a Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, establishing the red crystal as an emblem of protection equal in status to the cross and crescent. This resolution of the issue offers enhanced protection in regions where neither the red cross nor the red crescent emblem is accepted - and allows all nations to choose the emblem with which they are comfortable.