The Influence of International Law on Militant Violence Rates Against Civilians During Conflict
Open Access
Author:
Garrity, Kristen Michele
Area of Honors:
International Politics
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Zaryab Iqbal, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Gretchen G Casper, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
violence international law Africa civilians
Abstract:
This thesis investigates the relationship between international humanitarian law and acts of violence committed against civilians during periods of armed conflict. It focuses on the continent of Africa in order to analyze specific conflicts through both a qualitative and quantitative study. In this research, violence is categorized into two distinct groups including fatalities and records of sexual assault. The prevalence of international humanitarian law is indicated by the number of humanitarian topics that have been adopted into the domestic legal structure of a state. The hypothesis of this research claims that states that have adopted more components of international humanitarian law into their domestic legal system will have lower levels of violence committed against their civilians during periods of armed conflict. This research provides insight on the effectiveness of international law by proposing that in order to protect civilians during conflict, legislation must be created and enforced by the state in which they reside.
