LOC12:36
09:36 GMT
GENEVA, March 3 (KUNA) -- President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer said on Tuesday that "the reality of conflicts today is a catalogue of inhumanity.
"Hardly a day goes by without evidence of intimidation, brutalization, torture or killing amounting to serious violations of international humanitarian law. The sexual violence against women, men and children, which is deliberately and incessantly used as a tactic of warfare in order to humiliate and dehumanize individuals, has severe repercussions on survivors' families and communities. Indeed, today's outlook is rather sobering," said Maurer explained in his statement to the high lever segment of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council.
"This fragility is not conducive to rebuilding communities and services. Economic fragility and unsettled social or political claims seriously weaken States' capacity to ensure security and prosperity. The result is often rampant crime and other forms of organized armed violence, to which law enforcement officials may react either with passivity or the use of excessive force."
Maurer said that armed conflicts show no signs of abating, adding that fragmentation of power and of armed groups operating with unclear command structures are increasing the asymmetrical nature of conflicts.
"Battlefields continue to expand into cities, combining the illegal use of weapons and the use of illegal weapons, taking a heavy toll on all segments of the population. We are already witnessing the devastating human cost of such weapons and illegal methods of warfare. There are numerous accounts of incidental and indiscriminate deaths and injuries, as well as severe damage to critical civilian infrastructure essential for the functioning of hospitals and the survival of the population."
"It is no surprise that during the Security Council's recent debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, in January this year, we were not able to report any significant progress in the way armed conflicts are being waged, or any significant alleviation of their impact on people throughout the world".
Maurer explained that "one way to create that momentum is to go back to the basics. We must develop a common understanding on humanity and be able to use such understanding in a contemporary, objective and consensual way. This would in turn give impetus to the effective implementation of the very laws which are based on humanity, namely international humanitarian law and international human rights law".
According to the ICRC, humanity means protection against violence, access to health care for all the wounded and sick, imposes limits on the excessive use of violence, and treatment respecting human dignity in all circumstances, especially that of captured enemies and detainees in general", Maurer added. (end)
ta.gta