Widespread sexual violence unfortunately remains a largely invisible phenomenon due to cultural taboos, feelings of shame or fear of retaliation. Its prevalence and its consequences are thus vastly …
Deprivation of liberty - detention - is a common and lawful occurrence in armed conflict that is governed by a large number of provisions of international humanitarian law (IHL). Like other bodies of …
Sidr honey – a precious commodity in Yemen – is considered the most expensive honey in the world. Produced by artisanal beekeepers in eastern and southern governorates of the country, it is not only …
The Béni area of northern North Kivu province has endured several years of violence in connection with the conflict between Ugandan armed group the Allied Democratic Forces and the armed forces of …
Basic household goods were recently distributed in the highlands of Kalehe, South Kivu, in the rather unconventional style of a market. Set up for people whose homes had been looted or destroyed when …
A challenge to human control over the use of force. Technological advances in weaponry mean that decisions about the use of force on the battlefield could increasingly be taken by machines operating …
The main sources of international humanitarian law (IHL) are international treaty and customary law. In addition, domestic traditional law can improve the protection of victims of armed conflict. The …
It’s a little known fact that during the Second World War, Australia operated internment camps in all of its states. The camps, located in areas as remote as Rottnest Island off the coast of Western …
An international conference on cyber security, the humanitarian consequences of cyber wars and the application of international humanitarian law took place in Moscow recently. The event was organized …
Expert meeting report The ICRC convened an international expert meeting on autonomous weapon systems from 26 to 28 March 2014. It brought together government experts from 21 States and 13 individual …
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Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
International humanitarian law is based on a number of treaties, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and a series of other instruments.
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.
