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10.22.2 Duties of Internee Committees. Internee Committees shall further the physical,spiritual, and intellectual well-being of the internees. 343 Internee Committees have duties similarto the duties of POW Representatives. 344The Internee Committee’s general duties imply that the Internee Committee willundertake a variety of activities to ensure that internees receive proper treatment by theDetaining Power and to advance their welfare, even activities that are not specified in the GC asconstituting their duties.10.22.2.1 Internee Committees and Mutual Assistance Among the Internees. Incase the internees decide, in particular, to organize a system of mutual assistance amongthemselves, this organization would be within the competence of the Internee Committees, inaddition to the special duties entrusted to them under other provisions of the GC. 345 Thisprovision of the GC is based on experience during World War II, when camp leaders allowedPOWs to assist one another. 34610.22.2.2 Other Specific Duties. In addition to the general duties that the GCimposes on the Internee Committees, the GC also imposes specific duties on the InterneeCommittees in the following matters:• managing the distribution of collective relief; 347• assisting in the transport of the internees’ community property and luggage in cases oftransfers of internees; 348343 GC art. 103 (“The Internee Committees shall further the physical, spiritual and intellectual well-being of theinternees.”).344 GC COMMENTARY 441 (“This general clause could therefore be regarded as giving the Internee Committees theright to take any action likely to further the internees' well-being. In the same way as the camp leader in theprisoner-of-war camp enjoys considerable latitude in assisting his comrades and is allowed to correspond with relieforganizations, subscribe to newspapers, organize concerts and theatricals, initiate study courses, set up a legal advicebureau, transmit legal documents and suggest the sending to hospital or repatriation of certain men, so the InterneeCommittees have the general task of ensuring the application of the Convention on behalf of their fellowinternees.”).Compare § 9.24.3 (Duties of POW Representatives).345 GC art. 103 (“In case the internees decide, in particular, to organize a system of mutual assistance amongstthemselves, this organization would be within the competence of the Committees in addition to the special dutiesentrusted to them under other provisions of the present Convention.”).346 GC COMMENTARY 441 (“The experience of two world wars has shown that the activities of the camp leadershave made it possible for the poorest of prisoners of war to be helped by their own comrades. In some cases thecamp leader organized collections and his office became a real social welfare bureau. The second paragraph adaptsthe results of this experience to the case of internees and in particular gives the Internee Committees the task oforganizing a mutual assistance scheme. In view of the variation in conditions and resources among the internees,such a scheme can be very useful, for among them there will certainly be heads of family who, in losing their normalwork, will have left their dear ones in serious difficulty.”).347 Refer to § 10.23.3.4 (Collective Relief for Internees).348 Refer to § 10.30.3.3 (Disposition of Community Property and Remaining Property).693

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