Roundup: Int'l survey shows support for humanitarian law, mixed views towards torture

A survey released Monday by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) found that while there is growing support for international humanitarian law in times of conflict, more and more people are also backing the use of torture in war.

"In such troubled times, it's heartening to see that the vast majority of people believe that the laws of war matter. This recognition of basic human values flies in the face of the appalling violations we see on a daily basis in our work", said ICRC president Peter Maurer in a statement.

"The results also show that we all need to redraw a line in the sand: torture in any form is forbidden. We demonise our enemies at our own peril... using torture only triggers a race to the bottom. It has a devastating impact on the victims, and it brutalizes entire societies for generations," he added.

Over 17,000 people surveyed between June and September this year were asked to give their views on a number of war-related issues.

The ICRC conducted its research in 16 different countries, including the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States, and 10 countries experiencing armed conflict, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan.

According to findings, 80 percent of those questioned believe that fighters should avoid civilians as much as possible when carrying out military operations, with the same number saying that targeting healthcare personnel and facilities including hospitals to weaken the enemy is not acceptable.

Though positive, results put to light a worrying trend which is seeing more and more people support the use of torture to gain military intelligence.

The ICRC reported that 36 percent of those who participated in the survey believed that torturing captured enemy fighters to gain information is acceptable, up eight percent from ICRC's 1999 survey.

Results also underscored significant differences in beliefs between states in conflict.

Whereas 100 percent of Yemeni respondents believed that torture should not be part of war, 68 percent of Iraqis, 58 percent of South Sudanese and only 35 percent of Palestinians thought as much.

Findings show that generally speaking, the closer a person lives to a conflict situation, the more humanely participants answered to questions relating to the laws of war.

While 78 percent of those living in war-affected nations said that it is wrong to attack enemy troops in populated areas, only 50 percent of those surveyed in the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council were of the same opinion.

Similarly, 26 percent of respondents from the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council believed that depriving civilian populations of food, water and medical supplies is "just part of war", compared to 14 percent in conflict-afflicted countries.

The survey did however show global support for the Geneva Conventions adopted in 1949, with 67 percent of respondents stating that it is legitimate to impose limits on war.

"The effectiveness and relevance of the laws of war are being questioned perhaps more than at any time in recent history," Maurer continued.

"The survey shows that there is a disconnect between the public, who believe that targeting civilians, hospitals and humanitarian workers is unacceptable, and the policies and actions of States and armed groups who commit these acts," he concluded. Enditem