Geneva Convention

The Geneva Conventions have been acceded to by 194 States and enjoy universal acceptance. In 1859 Henry Dunant, a Swiss citizen, witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino and was horrified by the sight of thousands of wounded soldiers lying helpless and abandoned with no one to care for them. This experience led him to suggest the setting up of voluntary relief societies who could be trained, during peacetime, to care for the wounded in time of war. He also called for an international agreement to be drawn up to protect the wounded, and those who looked after them, from further attack.

In 1863 Henri Dunant arranged an unofficial international conference at which it was agreed that each country should form a relief organization capable of assisting the Army Medical Services in wartime. This was how the Red Cross began. In 1864 governments were invited to send representatives to a diplomatic conference. As a result 12 European nations signed one of the Major Treaties of the World stating that in future wars they would care for all sick and wounded military personnel, regardless of nationality. They would also recognize the neutrality of medical personnel, hospitals and ambulances identified by the emblem of a red cross on a white background. The treaty was called the Geneva Convention. The Geneva Convention was concerned only with soldiers wounded on the battlefield. Over the years, however, it has been expanded to cover everyone caught up in conflicts but not actually taking an active part in the fighting.

Speaking about the overview of international agreements and treaties,there are now four Geneva Conventions, which were drawn up in 1949. They cover armed forces on land and at sea, prisoners of war, and civilians. And all of them have now been accepted by virtually every State in the world. Britain ratified the four Conventions in 1957.The Conventions are long and complicated, but they are essentially a series of 'do's' and 'don'ts' to apply during conflict to protect vulnerable and defenseless individuals. Their underlying principles can be simply stated. The human dignity of all individuals must be respected at all times. Everything possible must be done, without any kind of discrimination, to reduce the suffering of people who have been put out of action by sickness, wounds or captivity whether or not they have taken direct part in the conflict.

Human rights are inherent to the human being and protect the individual at all times, in war and in peace. International humanitarian law only applies in situations of armed conflict. Thus, in times of armed conflict international human rights law and international humanitarian law both apply in a complementary manner.