The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law

Definitions are often the first step toward granting or denying a person's rights. The Guide's aim is to provide precise meaning and content for terms such as "terrorism," "refugee," "genocide," and "intervention" terms that the media have introduced into everyday conversation, yet whose legal and political meanings are often obscure. The Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law explains the terms, concepts, and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries. Written from the perspective of victims and those who bring them assistance, the Guide outlines the dangers, spells out the law, and points the way toward dealing with violators and violations of the law. Entries in the Guide are complemented by detailed bibliographic references; addresses, phone numbers, and internet addresses of the organizations presented; a thematic index; and an up-to-date list of the status of ratification of the more than twenty international conventions and treaties concerning humanitarian law, human rights, refugees, and international criminal law. Published in cooperation with Doctors Without Borders/Medecins sans Frontiers."