Thursday, January 21 2010

THE TT Red Cross Society (TTRCS) is alerting the public that the Red Cross emblem is being used without permission by different entities collecting donations for the Haitian disaster relief initiative.

In a release the TTRCS said the Red Cross emblem was established by international law through the Geneva Convention of 1949 and is neutral. It carries no religious, political or other connotations.

The Geneva Convention Act of Trinidad and Tobago (No25 of 2008) states that “no person shall without the consent in writing of the minister with responsibility for security, use or display for any purpose whatsoever the emblem of the Red Cross with the vertical and horizontal arms of the same length and completely surrounded by a white ground, or designation “Red Cross”. Any person contravening section 9(1) commits an offence and “is liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term of six months or both.”

This is in place to avoid the emblem of the Red Cross by persons seeking to carry out scams under the guise of representing the Red Cross. Anyone wishing to collect items and donations should indicate this in writing prior to starting any fund-raising event or promotion. The TTRCS said, “Any advertisement placed in any of the various newspapers highlighting your cause with our consent must adhere to the Geneva Guidelines as it pertains to the use, placement and dimension of our emblem”.