INTERNATIONAL humanitarian law was designed to protect people when war turns cruel, setting limits even armies should not cross.

Yet a recent Geneva Academy report shows those limits are increasingly ignored. The reality is grim. Civilians are being killed, injured, displaced, raped, starved and terrorized in conflicts worldwide. Homes, hospitals, schools and markets are no longer safe. From Gaza and Sudan to Ukraine, Myanmar and beyond, the same brutal pattern repeats. In many cases, this suffering is not accidental—it is becoming routine, making the situation even more dangerous.

Even more troubling is the growing sense of impunity. When violations go unpunished, laws lose their meaning. This erosion does not happen suddenly but gradually, as unacceptable acts become normalized.........

© Pakistan Observer