Fortunes of War

The Fortunes of War:
The protection given to aid workers under International Humanitarian Law

Cian Moran
07304293

Independent Research Project for NUI Galway

Supervisor: Professor Ray Murphy

Highly commended by the judging panel in the Undergraduate Awards 2012 (Law)
"We 'd like to help you." the consul said
"But there 's nothing we can do
Well, you knew the risks when you took the job
After all you 're not a fool”
Beirut Moon by the Stiff Little Fingers (1991)
Introduction
Armed conflict is both gruesome and traumatic, causing mass disruptions of infrastructure, supplies and public services, with states devoting resources away from civilian needs to fulfil military objectives. As such, civilians are often reliant on outside assistance during such crises, particularly in developing countries where resources are scarce. It is accepted in international law that humanitarian workers are not to be targeted and are accorded the rights and protections of civilian non-combatants. There is an international consensus that humanitarian aid is something beyond war and a principle to be respected and not subject to military whims or interference. As civilians are not engaging or furthering warfare, they should not be made to unnecessarily suffer. Humanitarian workers perform generally admirable work, responding rapidly to crises and dilemmas and endangering themselves to help others. There are of course, some concerns that certain aid workers are taking advantage of human misery to further their own religious views or to alleviate personal feelings of guilt. Overall though, most would see humanitarian aid as vital and deplore any violence against aid workers.
However, attacks on humanitarian workers have sharply increased in recent years, with kidnapping being an especially pressing concern. This is a trend which has been sharply criticised by the United Nations: aside from being attacks on non-combatants who risk their safety to help others, the

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