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Evacuation of children
    Article 78 -- Evacuation of children

    1. No Party to the conflict shall arrange for the evacuation of children, other than its own nationals, to a foreign country except for a temporary evacuation where compelling reasons of the health or medical treatment of the children or, except in occupied territory, their safety, so require. Where the parents or legal guardians can be found, their written consent to such evacuation is required. If these persons cannot be found, the written consent to such evacuation of the persons who by law or custom are primarily responsible for the care of the children is required. Any such evacuation shall be supervised by the Protecting Power in agreement with the Parties concerned, namely, the Party arranging for the evacuation, the Party receiving the children and any Parties whose nationals are being evacuated. In each case, all Parties to the conflict shall take all feasible precautions to avoid endangering the evacuation.

    2. Whenever an evacuation occurs pursuant to paragraph 1, each child's education, including his religious and moral education as his parents desire, shall be provided while he is away with the greatest possible continuity.

    3. With a view to facilitating the return to their families and country of children evacuated pursuant to this Article, the authorities of the Party arranging for the evacuation and, as appropriate, the authorities of the receiving country shall establish for each child a card with photographs, which they shall send to the Central Tracing Agency of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Each card shall bear, whenever possible, and whenever it involves no risk of harm to the child, the following information:

    (a) surname(s) of the child;

    (b) the child's first name(s);

    (c) the child's sex;

    (d) the place and date of birth (or, if that date is not known, the approximate age);

    (e) the father's full name;

    (f) the mother's full name and her maiden name;

    (g) the child's next-of-kin;

    (h) the child's nationality;

    (i) the child's native language, and any other languages he speaks;

    (j) the address of the child's family;

    (k) any identification number for the child;

    (l) the child's state of health;

    (m) the child's blood group;

    (n) any distinguishing features;

    (o) the date on which and the place where the child was found;

    (p) the date on which and the place from which the child left the country;

    (q) the child's religion, if any;

    (r) the child's present address in the receiving country;

    (s) should the child die before his return, the date, place and circumstances of death and place of interment.


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