Protection of Civilians under International Humanitarian Law
Protection of Civilians under International Humanitarian Law
The chapter notes that sixty-five years after the adoption of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the number of civilian casualties remains alarmingly high in many armed conflicts. It concludes that too often belligerents seem to act with utter disregard for the protection of civilians, with many of the most egregious attacks against civilians committed by non-State actors. The chapter considers whether that state of affairs can be apportioned to the conceptual limitations of international humanitarian law, or whether it is simply a result of the challenges posed by the complex dynamics of many contemporary armed conflicts. It argues that improving the protection of civilians through compliance with international humanitarian law requires more integrated efforts by the international community, not only in preventing harm from occurring, but also to address the root causes of today’s humanitarian challenges.
Keywords: Geneva Conventions, civilian casualties, armed conflict, belligerents, protection of civilians, international humanitarian law
Oxford Scholarship Online requires a subscription or purchase to access the full text of books within the service. Public users can however freely search the site and view the abstracts and keywords for each book and chapter.
Please, subscribe or login to access full text content.
If you think you should have access to this title, please contact your librarian.
To troubleshoot, please check our FAQs , and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us .
