Key Words

1. Key Words • War • Peace • War – An armed conflict between two opposing parties. • Peace – Living in Harmony with other countries.

2. Lesson Objectives By the end of this lesson you will be able to • Explain what the Geneva Convention is. • Identify how the Geneva Convention relates to War and the consequences of it. • Analyse how civilians and prisoners should be treated during war.

3. What are the Rules of War? • Should wars have rules?Task • In groups of 4 discuss what you believe should be rules of War. Need to write down a minimum of 4 rules. You have 10 minutes to discuss. • Group feedback.

4. Use of torture for punishment Discrimination by religion Use of torture for information Discrimination by nationality Use of hostage-taking Discrimination by politics Mass execution Political indoctrination Reprisal punishment/execution Human shield tactics Deportation Rape and/or pillage Discrimination by sex Use of threats to obtain information Which of the following would you allow to happen to a POW?

5. The Geneva Conventions • If you felt all of the things on the previous sheet are unacceptable you agree with the Geneva Conventions. • The Geneva Conventions - Close links with The Red Cross whose founder Henri Dunant initiated the talks that produced the first Geneva Convention.- The idea was to draw up an agreement that would lesson the suffering and atrocities of combat. - Since this initial meeting the document has been updated to reflect modernizing warfare. - 194 countries across the world have signed up to the document.

6. What does it Cover? It has rules that protect prisoners of war, wounded soldiers, civilians and medical personnel in war zones. • Sick & Wounded- Wounded military personnel no longer part of fighting force, they are seen as a vulnerable person entitled to medical care.

7. Field Hospitals – medical equipment, staff and those wounded are not to be attacked. To aid this they all show the Red Cross. • Enemy Civilians – should be treated humanely and protected especially the vulnerable young and old. They must be allowed to practise their own religion, contact their family. They must not be punished unjustly and women must not be sexually assaulted or raped.

8. Prisoners of War – should be treated humanely, not held in close confinement. They should notbe expected to do work that is dangerous, unhealthy or degrading. They should be protected from violence and acts of intimidation and against insults and public curiosity. There should be no acts of reprisal

9. Geneva Conventions • Do you think that if two countries are engaged in total war against one another, then enemy soldiers should be given rights? Give reasons for your answer. • It could be argued that the Geneva Conventions are only really relevant to the victors of a conflict, as only they get to enforce them. Do you agree with this argument, and if so does your conclusion affect the authority of the Conventions?

10. UDHR • In a politically, socially and culturally diverse world, what value is there in ‘universal’ declarations of this type? • Pick out three articles from the Declaration. Explain why they might be difficult to enforce in practical circumstances.