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When pre-election violence broke out in Burundi in April, volunteers with the Burundi Red Cross were among the first to respond. The protests led to a number of casualties, and forced more than 96,000 people to seek safety in neighbouring countries.

Defining a child soldier, determining appropriate treatment for prisoners of war, and negotiating peaceful resolutions were among the tasks completed recently by university students participating in a Red Cross club workshop at the University of Calgary.  

The interactive Paxium workshop focused on International Humanitarian Law (IHL), and increased awareness of the difficult decisions political, military, and civilian personnel have to make during conflicts.

How relevant is international humanitarian law in modern conflicts? This depends on whether the laws are applied and respected. It’s also important to remember that “laws of war” are constantly changing.

These are a few of the perspectives presented recently at the second annual International Humanitarian Law (IHL) Conference held at the University of Calgary.