Protecting humanity: more than 70 years of the Geneva conventions

Even war has rules. The Geneva Conventions form the basis of modern international humanitarian law. And on 12 August 2019, the four Geneva Conventions currently in force turned 70 years old.

Here, British Red Cross museum curator, Mehzebin Adam, explains why the Geneva Conventions came about and why they remain so vital.

Since the original Geneva Convention was adopted in 1864, international humanitarian law has helped to preserve humanity in times of war.

The Geneva Conventions are so important. They protect those who provide medical care to wounded soldiers and sailors.

They enable prisoners of war to receive messages from their families. And they facilitate humanitarian relief – such as life-saving food and water – to civilians living under military occupation.

The story of the Geneva Conventions

The life of Henry Dunant, a Swiss businessman, changed forever when he saw the suffering of soldiers in the Battle of Solferino in 1859. Three years later he published a book, 'A memory of Soleferino' about his experience.

In the book, Dunant proposed creating relief societies, made up of volunteers, trained to provide neutral and impartial help to relieve suffering in times of war. This led to the birth of the Red Cross Movement.

Dunant also proposed that countries adopt an international treaty to provide protection to medical services and the wounded on the battlefield.

This led to an agreement – the original Geneva Convention – which was adopted in 1864. It was first signed by 12 states, and by 1867 it was ratified by 16 states. Great Britain ratified the treaty on 18 February 1865.

The original Geneva Convention was updated in 1906. Then in 1907, the principles were adapted to provide for the protection of the medical function and to cover those who became sick, wounded or shipwrecked at sea during wartime. This was the Hague Convention for the Adaptation to Maritime Warfare of the Principles of the Geneva Convention.

Updated again in 1929 to provide protection to prisoners of war, the Geneva Conventions remained in place during the Second World War.

The Second World War: impact on civilians

The changing nature of warfare during the Second World War, including increasingly devastating weapons, caused a dramatic increase in civilian suffering.

The Geneva Conventions provided protection to medical personnel, wounded troops and prisoners of war. However, there were few rules at that time which specifically protected civilians in wartime.

The British Red Cross, with the Order of St John, helped civilians affected by WWII as part of the Joint War Organisation. As well as helping at home, on 21 April 1945, teams from the British Red Cross arrived at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp to provide relief to survivors of the Holocaust.

Even stronger protection added

Two Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions were adopted in 1977:

• The First Additional Protocol strengthened protection to victims of international armed conflicts.
• The Second Additional Protocol was the first international agreement which specifically sought protections for the victims of non-international armed conflicts (civil wars).

2005 saw the adoption of the Third Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which recognised the red crystal as an additional distinctive emblem along with the red cross and red crescent.

You might also be interested in:

• Find out more about the Geneva Conventions
• Explore the British Red Cross museum and archives
• Doris Zinkeisen: frontline artist who painted the liberation of Bergen-Belsen
• D-Day: how the Red Cross helped in World War II