International Law Against Starvation in Armed Conflict: Epilogue to a Multi-Faceted Study

English

1478-1395

There is a growing perception that, of all the ways in which death can result from an armed conflict, starvation is one which humanely we cannot accept — inter alia for the prolonged suffering associated with it, for its powerful grip on the weakest and for the fact that it strikes indiscriminately. Yet, as the law related to starvation is commonly interpreted, not all such instances of food insecurity in a situation of armed conflict are diagnosed as unlawful. The relationship between shortage of objects indispensable for survival, armed conflict and international law remains problematic — in a typical example of how the tension between humanitarian considerations and military necessity may result in a legal compromise. Liberation from hunger, and man-made food insecurity in particular, is certainly a process to be continuously advanced. International law plays an admittedly circumscribed role in such an endeavour, but a non-negligible one nonetheless. In this light, the contributions contained in this special issue showed how the rules of international law prohibiting and sanctioning starvation could be interpreted and implemented in a more effective way.

ART 408

International Journal of Criminal Justice, 2019, Vol.17, Issue 4, P. 913-923

eng

ANA-127410