Geneva Conventions facts for kids
The Geneva Conventions are a set of four important agreements in international law. They were created in Geneva, Switzerland. These agreements are all about helping people during times of war. A man from Switzerland, Henry Dunant, started the idea for these Conventions. He did this after seeing how terrible the Battle of Solferino was in 1859.
The Geneva Conventions also say that countries that sign them must make their own laws. These laws make it a crime to break the rules of the Conventions.
Contents
What Are the Four Geneva Conventions?
The four main Geneva Conventions and their rules are:
- First Geneva Convention: This one is about helping "Wounded and Sick Members of Armed Forces in the Field." It was first agreed upon in 1864 and updated in 1949. This Convention makes things better for soldiers who get hurt in battle. It says that medical teams must help anyone who is injured. They must help all injured people, not just those from their own side.
- Second Geneva Convention: This agreement helps "Wounded, Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces at Sea." It was adopted in 1949. This Convention is like the first one, but it applies to battles that happen at sea.
- Third Geneva Convention: This Convention is about "the Treatment of Prisoners of War." It started in 1929 and was updated in 1949. This agreement says that a prisoner of war has certain rights. For example, they must be treated humanely. In the past, the United States said that some fighters they captured were not prisoners of war. They called them illegal combatants, meaning they did not have these rights.
- Fourth Geneva Convention: This one is about "the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War." It was first adopted in 1949. When there is a war, people who are not fighting are called civilians. This Convention explains how to protect these people.
What Are the Extra Protocols?
Besides the four main Conventions, there are three more agreements called protocols:
- Protocol I (1977): This protocol adds to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It talks about protecting victims of international armed conflicts. These are wars between different countries.
- Protocol II (1977): This protocol also adds to the 1949 Geneva Conventions. It focuses on protecting victims of non-international armed conflicts. These are often civil wars, which happen inside one country.
- Protocol III (2005): This protocol is about adding a new special symbol. It introduced the red diamond. This symbol is like the Red Cross but does not have any religious meaning.
How the Conventions Changed Over Time
After the First Convention was agreed in 1864, the International Committee of the Red Cross was started in 1863. This group helps people affected by war.
All four Conventions were last checked and agreed upon in 1949. These versions included ideas from older agreements. People usually call all four agreements the "Geneva Conventions of 1949." Later meetings have added rules to make certain types of warfare illegal. For example, using chemical warfare is against the rules. They have also talked about rules for civil wars.
Clara Barton was very important in getting the United States to agree to the First Geneva Convention. The United States signed that Convention in 1882.
By the time the Fourth Geneva Convention was made in 1949, about 47 nations had agreed to follow the rules.
Today, almost all 200 countries in the world have signed and agreed to follow the Geneva Conventions.
Related pages
Images for kids
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This is a copy of the page where the 1864 Geneva Convention was signed. It set up kind rules for war.
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A Red Cross poster from the First World War.
See also
In Spanish: Convenios de Ginebra para niños
