These are the words of a former detainee – one of millions visited by the ICRC over its 140-year history as part of its international mandate to ensure that people deprived of their freedom during situations of armed conflict are protected from abuse and held in conditions conforming to international humanitarian law.

The archives of the ICRC are overflowing with examples of the progress achieved and the improvements made as a result of its behind the scenes approach.

Letters from people like Ali Najab, a Moroccan held by the Polisario Front for 25 years until his release in 2003.

"It is thanks to the ICRC that we found our dignity as human beings...it is the work of the ICRC that always gave us hope."

Or from Soha Bechara, a Lebanese woman, who spent ten years in Khiam prison in South Lebanon and describes her experiences in her book "Resistance."

"The ICRC had won a first, hard-fought victory. Through their stubborness, they had finally gained families the right to visit their detained relatives."

And Mike Durant, a US pilot held in Somalia in October 1993, who recalls the emotional and practical impact of the visit made to him by an ICRC delegate.

"I came away with a tremendous respect for the people who work for the ICRC, the risks they take and the things they do for unfortunate individuals like myself."

Or the words of Ricardo Gadea Acosta, a Peruvian journalist held in the 1990s.

"Through these visits, I realised that the police and the military were controlled by the presence of a such a prestigious international body as the ICRC."

These testimonies bear witness to how effective the ICRC's strategy can be and the essential role it plays as the only international organization to have such an extensive presence in detention places worldwide.



Read how delegates see their work with detainees.

Read more about the ICRC's mandate to visit people deprived of their freedom in connection with conflict