ICRC: Global survey reveals strong support for Geneva Conventions but  growing indifference to torture

ArmInfo. A new survey, published today, on how people around the world perceive a range of issues relating to war, indicates overwhelming support in the belief  that wars should have limits. It also reveals deeply concerning views  on torture and civilian casualties, the International Committee of  the Red Cross (ICRC) says in a statement sent to ArmInfo.

The survey of over 17,000 people took place between June and  September, in sixteen countries. Ten of those countries were  experiencing armed conflict at the time including Iraq, Afghanistan  and South Sudan. The permanent member countries of the UN Security  Council (P5 - China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the  United States) were also part of what is the largest survey of its  kind ever carried out by the ICRC.

Eight in ten people surveyed think combatants should avoid civilians  as much as possible when attacking the enemy. The same number thinks  attacking hospitals, ambulances and healthcare workers, in order to  weaken an enemy, is wrong.

However, a startling 36% of respondents believe that captured enemy  combatants can be tortured to obtain important military information.  Only slightly less than half of the people (48%) asked this year,  believe this behaviour is wrong, compared to 66% in a 1999 survey.  16% said they didn't know.                     "In such troubled times, it's heartening to see that the vast  majority of people believe that the laws of war matter. This  recognition of basic human values flies in the face of the appalling  violations we see on a daily basis in our work", said the president  of the ICRC, Peter Maurer. 

"The results also show that we all need to redraw a line in the sand:  torture in any form is forbidden. We demonise our enemies at our own  peril. Even in war, everyone deserves to be treated humanely. Using  torture only triggers a race to the bottom. It has a devastating  impact on the victims, and it brutalizes entire societies for  generations." 

The survey indicates that if you live in or near a conflict-affected  country, you are more likely to respond humanely to questions on the  laws of war. In P5 countries, it appears that people are more  resigned to civilian casualties and suffering as an inevitable part  of warfare:

78% of people living in countries affected by war said it was wrong  to attack enemy combatants in populated areas, knowing that many  civilians would be killed. In P5 countries, only 50% of people said  it's wrong. 

26% of people in P5 countries think depriving the civilian population  of essentials like food, water and medicine to weaken the enemy is  just "part of war", compared to 14% in countries affected by war.   "Faced with constant, gruesome images from the world's frontlines, we  must not lose our empathy and become numb to human suffering," said  Mr Maurer. "But the overwhelming message from this survey is that  people truly believe in the importance of international humanitarian  law, including the Geneva Conventions, and the protection of  civilians during times of conflict."

The four Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols seek to  limit the effects of warfare on those who do not participate in  hostilities, such as civilians or wounded and captured combatants. 

"The effectiveness and relevance of the laws of war are being  questioned perhaps more than at any time in recent history", added Mr  Maurer. "And yet, it is clear that people do not believe in a  battlefield 'free for all'. The survey shows that there's a  disconnect between the public, who believe that targeting civilians,  hospitals and humanitarian workers is unacceptable, and the policies  and actions of States and armed groups who commit these acts."