Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide, Second Edition Second Edition | Page 17

Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide
b. This definition is relevant during both peace and combat operations, and may also apply to
other situations when military forces are used to address risks to civilians. This definition indicates
that PoC has both military and nonmilitary aspects, and suggests that enduring PoC often requires
more than a short-term focus on imminent threats of violence.
c. PoC involves a wide range of actors besides the military force. These include domestic and
international civilian, police, and military organizations that address security, governance, rule of
law, humanitarian, and developmental needs. The latter considerations are often relevant to
provide for civilian well-being and mitigate grievances and root causes of conflict that can harm
civilians. PoC actors may have dissimilar objectives and use different methods, even if they can
agree about the general desirability of PoC. Actors are discussed in further detail in Chapter 2 of
the PoC Military Reference Guide.
P O C L AYERS
a. Observers and practitioners sometimes debate whether PoC efforts should strictly focus on
protection from threats of physical violence, or whether they should encompass a broader human
security agenda including human rights. In this reference guide, PoC is viewed as a layered set of
issues, broadly categorized as shown in Figure 1.1.
► Figure 1.1: PoC Layers 8 ◄
ICRC, protection, in the broadest sense, aims to ensure that authorities and other actors respect their obligations
and the rights of individuals in order to preserve the lives, security, physical and moral integrity and dignity of those
affected by armed conflicts and/or other situations of violence. Protection includes efforts that strive to prevent or
put a stop to actual or potential violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and other relevant bodies of law
or norms that protect human beings. Above all, protection aims to eradicate the causes of violations, or the
circumstances that lead to them, by addressing mainly those responsible for the violations and those who may have
influence over them.”
8
Paul Williams, Enhancing Civilian Protection in Peace Operations: Insights from Africa (Washington DC: National
Defense University Press, 2010), 16. Titled “The Civilian Protection ‘Onion’” in original.
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