Civilian Populations in War Zones

The United Nations (UN) Charter mandates that all member states resolve their international disputes peacefully, but many countries still use violence to settle disputes, and soldiers fight battles because it is their mission and sworn duty. At the same time, the majority of people take no active part in the hostilities. It can be said that civilian populations consist of certain categories or groups of individuals who are not a part of the armed forces, or of organizations attached to them, and do not directly or indirectly participate in military operations. Thus, a person remains a civilian as long as his or her actions or activities are not responsible for immediate damage suffered by the adversary at the military level.

Although civilians, by definition, are not ...