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Promoting norms to limit violence in crisis situations: challenges, strategies and alliances

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2010

Extract

In Somalia, a group of young actors, musicians and scriptwriters are working on a play which is to be produced, filmed and distributed in the form of a video throughout the country. One scene shows a young militiaman boasting of how he has terrorized the population and the reaction of the woman he loves. She evokes the suffering caused by his conduct and refuses to marry a man who has disregarded the code of honour of his clan. This creative work contains a message for young militiamen about the effect of unbridled violence on both its victims and its perpetrators.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © International Committee of the Red Cross 1998

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References

1 In this article, the terms “dissemination” and “promotion of international humanitarian law” are used synonymously. The word “dissemination” appears in the Geneva Conventions; it denotes action taken to spread knowledge of the content of the humanitarian treaties. However, the term “promotion” is more appropriate to encompass the whole range of the ICRC's activities aimed at improving understanding and acceptance of humanitarian law.

2 The International Review of the Red Cross recently devoted the major part of an issue to the dissemination of international humanitarian law (No. 319, July–August 1997, pp. 357–454).

3 Articles 47/48/127/144 respectively of the four Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949; Article 83 of Additional Protocol I and Article 19 of Additional Protocol II of 8 June 1977.

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6 Anderson, Mary B., Do no harm: Supporting local capacities for peace through aid, Cambridge, Local Capacities for Peace Project, 1996, 61 pp.Google Scholar

7 In the literature available to us the concept of conflict prevention does not generally cover crisis management once violence has erupted, nor conflict management, conflict mitigation or peace-making. On the topic of conflict prevention, see Preventing a violent conflict: A study, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Stockholm, 1997, 67 pp.Google Scholar (in particular pp. 35 and 36).

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