ICRC continues humanitarian responses, support for vulnerable communities in Jordan

AMMAN — Since 1967, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been supporting the Jordanian government to respond to different humanitarian crises, said Sarah Avrillaud, head of the ICRC delegation to Jordan.

In an interview with The Jordan Times and Al Rai Arabic daily, Avrillaud said that the focus of their work is to support host communities and Syrian refugees, in partnership with the Jordan Red Crescent Society (JRCS).

“In Jordan, our activities include helping separated families maintain contact, visiting places of detention, tracing missing people and supporting livelihoods, among other things. For example, over 1 million people, Jordanians and Syrians, benefited from our Water and Habitat Projects in Mafraq, Irbid and other governorates,” Avrillaud said.

The ICRC delegation chief commended the Jordanian government for opening its borders to a large number of refugees at a time when many countries failed to do so, despite the government’s internal challenges.

She also elaborated on ICRC visits to detention centres in Jordan, noting that in cooperation with the Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre Department, “we work hand in hand” to improve the conditions at the detention facilities and the treatment of detainees.

Regarding missing persons, the ICRC and National Societies have registered almost 30,000 cases of people who have gone missing or been separated from their families in connection with the crisis in Syria since 2011, Avrillaud said.  

Altogether, the ICRC in Jordan with the support of the JRCS has collected around 3,000 individual allegations of disappearance.

Through its Accompaniment Programme and through referrals to other service providers, the ICRC accompanies families of missing persons to address their needs and strengthen their ability to deal with the disappearance of their relatives and to resume their social lives.  

“For families of missing persons, time does not heal, answers do,” Avrillaud said.