Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide, Second Edition Second Edition | Page 52

Protection of Civilians Military Reference Guide Additionally, it can be a topic of emphasis when interacting with host-state leaders, especially those in security forces. Military forces directly tasked with broader stabilization responsibilities should be aware of the possibility of human trafficking and the supporting criminal networks and address these issues aggressively. This is an area where it is important for military forces to create the space in which the police and other Rule of Law organizations can operate. e. Displaced Persons’ Risks. In many armed conflicts, most civilian deaths are due to starvation, disease, exposure, dehydration, and other causes besides violence. Civilians are especially vulnerable when they flee or are forced from their homes and lose their sources of sustainment and communal networks. Generally understood as a person who leaves his or her country due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, the term “refugee” has often been expanded to include any person who has fled from war or other violence in his or her home country. 33 DPs may flee to military bases for protection and may be reluctant to leave thereafter. Large concentrations of DPs often dwarf the availability of necessities to sustain them, and they are often vulnerable to extortion, human trafficking, CRSV, and other acts of violence. DPs and related humanitarian issues are discussed in further detail in Task 27—Support Relief for Displaced Persons and Task 28—Support Humanitarian Assistance. f. Targeted Violence. Civilians may be at risk when political violence occurs and in extreme cases, such as genocide, ethnic cleansing, and other mass atrocities, perpetrators may deliberately target certain civilian groups to destroy them or force them to leave an area. Depending on the circumstances, some civilians such as members of an ethnic group, journalists, members of a political party, women and girls, military-age males, or international aid workers, may be in greater jeopardy than others. g. Predatory Violence. Some violence against civilians may be localized and opportunistic in nature, and is typically promulgated by criminal groups or rogue security actors. The motivations are often to take money or other resources from civilians, and sexual violence is often a characteristic of this situation. Predatory violence is fostered by poor governance and inadequate rule of law. Transnational criminal networks may be contributors to predatory violence, especially if human trafficking, drug trafficking, and arms trafficking comprise part of their activities. h. Collateral Violence. Even when they are not deliberately targeted, civilians and civilian facilities are at risk during armed conflict and other violent situations because of their proximity to intended targets, misidentification, accidents, or when weapons systems malfunction or are incorrectly employed. Civilian casualties can occur despite stringent mitigation procedures, and the probability increases if belligerents are located among civilians or use civilians as human shields. See Task 18—Mitigate Civilian Casualties for more information. 33 The legal definition of “refugee” and relevant legal obligations are contained in the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, as amended by the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. Available at http://www.unhcr.org/3b66c2aa10.html. In the PoC Military Reference Guide, Displaced Persons (DPs) refer generally to legally-defined categories including refugees located in another country, migrants, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who remain in their own country. 39