Sexual violence has been, and to a large extent continues to be, shrouded in silence. However, the dynamics behind it, including its prevalence and horrific toll on individuals and societies, have …
What are the main challenges that humanitarian actors face in upholding a principled approach in today's crises and emergencies? How are "principles guiding humanitarian action" understood by …
This Handbook was published as part of the Brussels Privacy Hub and ICRC’s Data Protection in Humanitarian Action project. It is aimed at the staff of humanitarian organizations involved in …
The purpose of this flyer is to promote the ICRC's customary international humanitarian law (IHL) study and online database, where the full content of the study and regular practice updates are …
The Second Convention is a key text of international humanitarian law. It contains the essential rules on the protection of the wounded, sick and shipwrecked at sea, those assigned to their care, and …
The practical guidelines for test pumping presented in this publication reflect years of hands-on experience in borehole operation in both rural and urban settings, from Africa to the Middle East and …
The brochure summarizes the problem of weapon contamination, presents the ICRC's Weapon Contamination Unit and describes how the ICRC acts to protect civilians from the effects of weapon …
In line with its mandate, the ICRC endeavours to prevent the suffering caused by armed conflict, notably through the promotion of international humanitarian law. This publication – intended for use …
A practical handbook covering the architecture, engineering, design and operation of prisons. It is intended for all ICRC delegates working in places of detention, whether they have extensive …
Violence, both actual and threatened, against the wounded and the sick, and against health-care facilities and personnel, is one of the most crucial yet overlooked humanitarian issues of today. This …
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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.
