World War II left not only those actually
participating in combat mentally and physically fatigued, but also other
non-soldier civilians. This meant that almost of the entirety of Europe was
exhausted at the conclusion of the war. Legislators wanted to put an end to this
concept of total war, and so the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in
Time of War (also known as the Fourth Geneva Convention or GCIV) was conceived. Signed in 1949, this document outlined what
measures were to be taken in order to protect civilians in times of war.
Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states:
Persons protected are
entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honor,
their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their
manners and customs. They shall at all times be humanly treated, and shall be
protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and
against insults and public
curiosity.
Another topic covered by the treaty was what defined a Protected
Person. Article Four states:
Persons
protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner
whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands
of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not
nationals.
The Fourth Geneva Convention was immensely important in that it marked
the creation of a new era of cooperation. All 194 signatories of the treaty
agreed to treat Protected Persons humanely in not only times of war, but also
periods of occupation and armed conflicts in general. Nations were so abhorred
with the detrimental effects of WWII on all parts of society that they banded
together, ushering in a new age of diplomacy and cooperation that still exists
today.
participating in combat mentally and physically fatigued, but also other
non-soldier civilians. This meant that almost of the entirety of Europe was
exhausted at the conclusion of the war. Legislators wanted to put an end to this
concept of total war, and so the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in
Time of War (also known as the Fourth Geneva Convention or GCIV) was conceived. Signed in 1949, this document outlined what
measures were to be taken in order to protect civilians in times of war.
Article 27 of the Fourth Geneva Convention states:
Persons protected are
entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honor,
their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their
manners and customs. They shall at all times be humanly treated, and shall be
protected especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and
against insults and public
curiosity.
Another topic covered by the treaty was what defined a Protected
Person. Article Four states:
Persons
protected by the Convention are those who, at a given moment and in any manner
whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands
of a Party to the conflict or Occupying Power of which they are not
nationals.
The Fourth Geneva Convention was immensely important in that it marked
the creation of a new era of cooperation. All 194 signatories of the treaty
agreed to treat Protected Persons humanely in not only times of war, but also
periods of occupation and armed conflicts in general. Nations were so abhorred
with the detrimental effects of WWII on all parts of society that they banded
together, ushering in a new age of diplomacy and cooperation that still exists
today.