Since the number of women who actually participated in war was insignificant until the outbreak of World War I, the need for special protection for them was not felt prior to that time. This does not imply however that women had previously lacked any protection. From the birth of international humanitarian law, they had had the same general legal protection as men. If they were wounded, women were protected by the provisions of the 1864 Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field; if they became prisoners of war, they benefited from the Regulations annexed to the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907 on the Laws and Customs of War on Land.

Families have the right to know the fate of their relatives (P. I, Art. 32).

Each Party to a conflict must search for persons reported missing by an adverse Party and must supply all relevant information on such persons to facilitate the search (P. I, Art. 33).

Concerned by the increasing hazards facing journalists on professional missions, the ICRC will try to intensify its efforts on their behalf as persons protected by international humanitarian law applicable in armed conflicts, in conformity with the humanitarian mandate vested on it by the international community. A ‘hot line’ has now been put into service at the ICRC, so that the editors and professional organizations concerned can rapidly contact it and request its aid in case of need.

The first seminar organized jointly by the Union of African Journalists (UAJ) and the ICRC on the subject “The Journalist and International Humanitarian Law” was held in Nairobi (Kenya) from 16 to 20 September 1985. This event, which was the result of the close co-operation established between the ICRC and the UAJ following a mission to Cairo on 20 October 1984 by Mr Alain Modoux, head of the ICRC Information Department, had several objectives:

— to introduce African journalists to international humanitarian law and to inform them of the activities of the ICRC;

— to examine, in the light of the humanitarian problems in Africa, the role of the media in sensitizing public opinion and promoting humanitarian rules;

— to take stock of the situation with regard to the protection of journalists in their work.

The ICRC has learnt with deep regret of the death on 29 October 1985 of Miss Monique Katz, the former Assistant Director of the Central Tracing Agency and a faithful staff member for nearly forty years.

The ICRC having been invited as an observer to the ministerial conference of the non-aligned countries, held in Luanda from 2 to 7 September, Mr. Jean-Pierre Hocké, Director for Operational Activities at the ICRC, and Mr. Jean-Marc Bornet, delegate-general for Africa, were received by Mr. José Eduardo Dos Santos, President of the People's Republic of Angola. This meeting provided an opportunity for reviewing the assistance activities undertaken by the ICRC in aid of populations displaced by the fighting in several regions of the country.