The Swiss Red Cross and assistance to refugees

Abstract of the article "La Croix-Rouge suisse et l’aide aux réfugiés et aux migrants"

Since its foundation in 1866 the Swiss Red Cross has been actively involved in caring for refugees who fled their countries of origin to neutral Switzerland. During the various wars in Europe in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and above all the Second World War, the Swiss Red Cross set up shelters for thousands of refugees, with particular emphasis on care for children. With the fall of the Iron Curtain in the heart of Europe and especially the growing influx of migrants from the south, the Swiss Red Cross has had to find different ways of helping with refugee crises. The article discusses the various steps in this ongoing process of adapting its policy to new circumstances.