Spare the civilians

In the backdrop of catastrophic devastation and untold human suffering caused by WW-II, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1946 marked the beginning of a new world order, promising the freedom of life and liberty to all people under the aegis of the United Nations. The Geneva Convention, Conventions on the Rights of Women and Children and various other protocols reinforced the sentiment that nations are mandated to protect human rights. But unfortunately, the reality is far different from ideas, as millions of people across nations, mostly those in third-world countries, are denied basic rights to life and liberty in one form or the other. While country-specific socioeconomic conditions are systemic obstacles against the realisation of human rights, in many cases, the main culprits have been wars and armed conflicts, for these indiscriminately and instantly deprive people of their rights, and cause irreparable losses to life and liberty. By the end of September 2021, an estimated number of 3,87,072 civilians in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and Pakistan have died due to post-9/11 military operations. Presently, the Russian invasion on Ukraine has caused thousands of civilian casualties. Millions of civilians, including the vulnerable and the old, are forced to seek shelter in underground stations.

Waiving of certain human rights is a personal choice for people working in armed forces, engaged in armed conflict or working with extremist organisations, and as such, a plea against denial of human rights is untenable. But the case of civilians is stronger. Subjecting people who are not participants in a war to violence, displacement, estrangement with families etc. is an outright infringement of universal rights to life and liberty. During an armed conflict, citizens, students from foreign countries, migrant workers, tourists and a whole lot of other foreigners get stranded in inhospitable locations, disconnected from communications, denied food, shelter or protection. This is exactly the story of Ukraine today. Hundreds of Indians, mostly students, are stranded and even suffering discrimination while crossing the borders. An Indian student died due to shelling, as he was standing in que to buy food, heart rending indeed. It's a shame that even in 21st century when civilisation blossomed to its finer expressions in all fields of human excellence, unarmed civilians, including women and children, continue to be the victims of aggression and war — a thing unheard of even in the blood-stained violent Roman history or in dark ages marked by brutal use of force by despots. Battles were mainly fought in open fields away from human habitations by the kings and their armies and, in most cases, only the enemy soldiers were either killed or enslaved — sparing civilians, women and children.

An abominable fact is that these days, actors in war deliberately inflict pain on civilians by attacking and forcibly displacing them through use of heavy-handed military or political tactics in order to defeat the enemy; they even determine where and how humanitarian aid by the UN agencies and other organisations reaches the victims. According to the World Economic Forum, 65.6 million people were globally displaced by the end of 2016 due to wars and conflicts — highest number since WWII — and 11.8 million people were internally displaced in 2017, double the figure of 6.9 million in 2016. A hard-hitting fact is that 74 million people are subjected to acute hunger in 18 conflict-ridden countries. Wars and crises are said to be pushing people to starvation, destroying lives and livelihoods. Today, over 22 million people — two thirds of the population of Yemen — are in need of humanitarian assistance while some 8.4 million are facing famine. This is due to a strategic design aimed at defeating the opponent militia by draining out resources, damaging infrastructure and victimising civilians. It is reported that in Sudan, all warring groups equally attacked civilians and, by pillage, deprived them of their means of survival. Even the government is said to have denied aid to some civilian populations under rebel control as a tactic to conclude peace.

Civilian populations continue to suffer across the world, as hostilities between nations never seem to end any more than the perpetual 'cold war' does. The world powers, evidently, are faced with a clash of interest in spite of their avowed commitment to protecting the rights of civilians in conflict zones, for they are involved, in one way or the other, in almost all armed conflicts across the globe. The UN, frankly, with no teeth, can at best only galvanise relief operations after much damage has been already done. None seem to be seriously working to avert conflicts and save people from sufferings before the eventuality takes toll.

Protection of civilians is a priority not only in principle but also in practice, and all nations need to work in unison to that end. It's a moral as well as a legal obligation, as all nations agreed to comply with two international laws — the 'International Human Rights Law' (on the legitimacy of the use of force) and the 'International Humanitarian Law' (on how force may be used). The former protects the human rights enunciated in UDHR and guaranteed by law through various treaties whereas the latter is a set of rules to limit the effects of armed conflict. Striking a balance between humanity and military necessity, International Humanitarian Law provides for protection of a number of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. States have both positive and negative obligations; the former refers to acts to protect civilians and the latter to refrain from such acts leading to denial of human rights. Besides, the UN resolution 771 binds parties in conflict to comply with the obligations under International Humanitarian Law — particularly the Geneva Convention (1949). Persons who commit breach of law are supposed to be individually held responsible. But the tragedy is that the application of both the laws has always been denied since the end of World War-II. Korean war (1950-53), Vietnam conflict (1965-72), Iran-Iraq War (1980-88) and the Gulf Crisis (1990-91) are some examples. In spite of various international agreements, conventions and protocols, neither the perpetrators are brought to books nor the losses suffered by civilians are ever made good for.

It is impossible to visualise a world without hostilities and wars but it is possible to make sure that civilian populations enjoy their basic rights and freedoms even in the worst crises. To quote Buddha, "no matter how hard the past has been, you can always make a new beginning". Renewed and concerted efforts are necessary to ensure compliance with the existing international laws. Arrangements for advance warnings, timely evacuation, provision of food and shelter, safety for women and children can help prevent large-scale human suffering. The protocols for protection of innocent people must be adhered to by all. The UN, in spite of its limitations, is a scientifically evolved best international forum that champions the cause of peace and human rights. The world powers have a duty to strengthen it by their exemplary international conduct. However strong and powerful a nation may feel, it must not make the mistake of ignoring the fact that in today's global economic order, war or no war, all nations will have to sail or sink together; and denial of human rights anywhere destabilises economies everywhere in the long run.

The writer is a former Addl. Chief Secretary of Chhattisgarh. Views expressed are personal