Fort Lauderdale, Fla. ? Despite the dramatic rescue of captured Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch in Iraq, prisoner of war advocates fear the worst for the remaining seven prisoners who appeared before Iraqi television cameras nearly two weeks ago.

Part of the problem is the prisoners aren’t getting the same consideration as the approximately 4,500 Iraqi prisoners now held by American troops. The International Committee of the Red Cross began visiting the Iraqi prisoners this week to ensure they’re properly treated, but it has not yet been allowed access to the American POWs.

Red Cross inspection teams collect messages from prisoners to their families, then relay back letters from home, said Christophe Girod, chief of the Red Cross mission in North America in Washington, D.C. Inspectors also tour prisoners’ living quarters to ensure there is adequate food, blankets and hygienic facilities, and they interview each prisoner.

“They’re usually happy to see somebody else other than their guard,” Girod said. “Somebody who’s here to help them.”