Protected persons
International humanitarian law protects a wide range of people and objects during armed conflict. The Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols protect sick, wounded and shipwrecked people …
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National implementation of IHL: Documentation
States party to international humanitarian law treaties must take certain legal and administrative measures to comply with the obligations they have undertaken. This section deals with various topics …
Gender and IHL
War affects women, men, girls and boys differently. Taking account of these differences when applying international human law will result in better protection for all. A gender perspective on …
Use of emblems
The red cross, red crescent and red crystal emblems provide protection for military medical services and relief workers in armed conflicts. National Societies in each country also use the emblems for …
Domestic law and IHL
For IHL treaties to be universally accepted, all states must adopt them through ratification or accession. States must then enact legislation and take practical measures in order for the rules to be …
Restoring Family Links – Families Belong Together
Family members can become separated or go missing as a result of conflict, disaster, along a migratory route or during other situations requiring a humanitarian response. We at the ICRC restore and …
A Memory of Solferino
This is the book that prompted the creation of what is now a worldwide movement with millions of members and made the name of Henry Dunant known everywhere. The account has moved many people and …
Autonomous weapons
Autonomous weapons are not a work of science fiction from a distant dystopian future. They are an immediate cause of humanitarian concern and demand an urgent, international political response. …
Protected persons: Children
Under international humanitarian law, children affected by armed conflict are entitled to special respect and protection. Highlight Children should be at school, not at war From our archives: …
Protected persons: Persons with disabilities
International humanitarian law (IHL) includes provisions to protect people with disabilities during times of armed conflict and other violence. Highlights ICRC preparing for major expansion of sports …
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ICRC library
Created in 1863, the ICRC library, alongside the ICRC archives, provides an indispensable documentary reference on the organization itself and international humanitarian law.
IHL treaties
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 IHL
Customary international humanitarian law consists of rules that come from "a general practice accepted as law" and that exist independent of treaty law.