Human Rights Watch is devising a new declaration on the areas of armed conflicts, laying out the components of a new political declaration on explosive weapons, bolstering its case with precedent from existing declarations.
The declaration “A Commitment to Civilians: Precedent for a Political Declaration on Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas,” was co-published by Harvard Law School’s International Human Rights Clinic.
Explosive weapons, including artillery shells, rockets, mortars, and air-dropped bombs, have recently caused civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and other countries, Human Rights Watch said.
It added that civilians are often killed or injured by the initial explosion, crushed by collapsing buildings, or maimed by explosive remnants of war.
“Reverberating effects include damage to homes and essential infrastructure, interference with health care and education, large-scale displacement of people, degradation of the environment, and denial of humanitarian access.” Human Rights Watch indicated.
