Human dignity, rights always must be respected, Vatican official says

(July 22,2009):- Even in emergency situations caused by war or natural disaster, the dignity of each human person must be respected, said Vatican's representative to U.N. agencies in Geneva. The right to freedom, work, education and other human rights, cannot simply be discarded in emergencies, Archbishop Silvano Tomasi said on Monday, during a meeting of the humanitarian affairs segment of the U.N. Economic and Social Council. The international community must find ways to guarantee an effective global humanitarian response to disasters, he added.
Archbishop Tomasi repeated the Vatican's call for “real action to ensure the safety of women and girls in refugee camps around the globe.” He said -"The continued sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls within and around refugee camps, violates all standards of international law and leads to the emotional, physical and mental devastation of these women, which cannot be justified under any circumstances."
Archbishop Tomasi stressed that the International Community must have a mechanism for stepping in when the local government is unable, or refuses to act, or uses a disaster situation for political purposes.
The Vatican representative also noted that the effort to feed and offer other kinds of assistance to millions of victims of natural and man-made disasters is facing serious challenges today .He praised countries and individuals, who continue supporting aid agencies. He pointed out that failure to provide for people in humanitarian crises during this difficult time will lead only to social and political instability.