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Iraq misery grows, says Red Cross Iraq misery grows, says Red Cross
(about 1 hour later)
The International Committee of the Red Cross says the situation for ordinary Iraqis is getting steadily worse.The International Committee of the Red Cross says the situation for ordinary Iraqis is getting steadily worse.
In a new report, the ICRC says the conflict is inflicting immense suffering - and calls for greater protection of civilians.In a new report, the ICRC says the conflict is inflicting immense suffering - and calls for greater protection of civilians.
An Iraqi woman quoted in the report said people wanted help to collect bodies lining streets every morning.An Iraqi woman quoted in the report said people wanted help to collect bodies lining streets every morning.
The ICRC still has a presence in Iraq despite the bombing of its Baghdad offices three and a half years ago.The ICRC still has a presence in Iraq despite the bombing of its Baghdad offices three and a half years ago.
In the report called Civilians Without protection - The Ever-worsening Crisis in Iraq, the Red Cross asked civilians what could be done to help them. In the report called Civilians Without protection - The Ever-worsening Crisis in Iraq, the Red Cross asked Iraqis what could be done to help them.
Collect the bodies that line the streets in front of our homes every morning Iraqi woman Clickable guide: Life in Iraq
The answer was a shock, says ICRC director of operations Pierre Kraehenbuehl.The answer was a shock, says ICRC director of operations Pierre Kraehenbuehl.
"The suffering that Iraqi men, women and children are enduring today is unbearable and unacceptable. Their lives and dignity are continuously under threat," he said. I saw a four-year-old boy sitting beside his mother's body, which had been decapitated by the explosion. He was talking to her, asking her what had happened Saad Humanitarian worker class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/11_04_07_iraq-report-icrc.pdf">Red Cross report in full Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. href="http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html">Download the reader here class="" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/in_depth/post_saddam_iraq/html/1.stm">In depth: Life in Iraq
"The suffering that Iraqi men, women and children are enduring today is unbearable and unacceptable," he said.
"The ICRC calls on all those who can influence the situation on the ground to act now to ensure that the lives of ordinary people are spared and protected. This is an obligation under international humanitarian law for both states and non-state actors.""The ICRC calls on all those who can influence the situation on the ground to act now to ensure that the lives of ordinary people are spared and protected. This is an obligation under international humanitarian law for both states and non-state actors."
The famously neutral International Red Cross will not blame anyone in particular for what it calls the current disastrous security situation, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.
The report makes it clear that nobody - including the Iraqi government and coalition forces - has done enough so far, our correspondent adds.
'Simply unbearable''Simply unbearable'
Red Cross workers asked Iraqi women about their lives.Red Cross workers asked Iraqi women about their lives.
"If there's anything that anybody could do that would really help us today would be to help us collect the bodies that line the streets in front of our homes every morning and that we find nobody dares to touch or remove after security reasons," one woman said.
Women found it "simply unbearable" to confront their children with them morning after morning as they tried to take them to school, the woman added.Women found it "simply unbearable" to confront their children with them morning after morning as they tried to take them to school, the woman added.
The Red Cross says every aspect of life in Iraq is getting worse - a trip to the market has become a matter of life and death.
Car bombs: An everyday reality nowCar bombs: An everyday reality now
The Red Cross says every aspect of life in Iraq is getting worse. "Once I was called to an explosion site," Saad, a humanitarian worker, is quoted as saying in the report.
A trip to the market has become a matter of life and death. "There I saw a four-year-old boy sitting beside his mother's body, which had been decapitated by the explosion. He was talking to her, asking her what had happened. He had been taken out shopping by his mum."
Access to basics like water and electricity are increasingly difficult - so much so that many Iraqis have given up hoping for big improvements and focus on small ones like clearing the bodies from the streets. The report also highlights the following problems:
The famously neutral International Red Cross will not blame anyone in particular for what it calls the current disastrous security situation, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.
  • Iraq's healthcare facilities face critical shortages of staff and supplies. Many doctors, nurses and patients no longer dare to go to hospitals and clinics because they are targeted or threatened
    • But it does say that everyone with political and military influence in Iraq must do more to protect civilians.
  • much of Iraq's vital water, sewage and electricity infrastructure is in a critical condition
    • The report makes it clear that nobody - including the Iraqi government and coalition forces - has done enough so far, our correspondent adds.
  • food shortages have been reported in some areas and malnutrition is said to have increased
    • In a report also released on Wednesday, the charity Oxfam said the UK's ability to be a force for good in the world had been seriously damaged by the invasion of Iraq and other foreign policy decisions.
    And a new report by the Oxford Research Group think tank said that the UK and US policy towards Iraq had "spawned new terror in the region".