First Geneva
Convention — 1864
For the
Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded
and Sick in Armed Forces in the Field
Established:
Safeguards for members of the armed forces
who become wounded or ill.
The 1864 convention was ratified
within three years by all the major European powers as well as by
many other states.
Second Geneva Convention
— 1906
For the
Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded,
Sick and Shipwrecked Members of Armed Forces
at Sea
Established:
Rules applying to the protections in the
First Convention to wounded, sick, and
shipwrecked members of naval forces.
The First
Geneva Convention was amended and extended by the
Second Geneva Convention. Its provisions were applied to
maritime warfare through the Hague conventions of 1899 and 1907.
Third Geneva Convention
— 1929
Relative to
the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Established:
Obligations of belligerents
toward prisoners of war.
World War I
saw some human rights heavily violated and the
Third Geneva Convention was a logical next
step. This convention related to the treatment of
prisoners of war and required that belligerents treat prisoners of war humanely, furnish
information about them, and permit official visits to prison camps
by representatives of neutral states.
Fourth Geneva Convention
— 1949
Relative to
the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time
of War
Established:
Providing for the protection of civilian
populations during conflict situations.
World War
II had put some major human rights
violations on the map and this was the
convention to address them.
More than 180 states have become parties to the 1949 conventions.
