Editing Civilian casualty (section)

==International humanitarian law==
{{main|International humanitarian law}}
Following [[World War II]], a series of treaties governing the [[law of war|laws of war]] were adopted starting in 1949. These [[Geneva Conventions]] would come into force, in no small part, because of a general reaction against the practices of the Second World War. Although the [[Fourth Geneva Convention]] attempted to erect some legal defenses for civilians in international armed conflicts, the bulk of the Fourth Convention devoted to explicating civilian rights in the hands of the enemy, and no explicit attention is paid to the problems of [[bombardment]] and the hazardous effects in the [[combat|combat-zone]].<ref>{{cite book |page=[https://archive.org/details/moralprinciplesn0000lack/page/213 213] |title=Moral Principles and Nuclear Weapons |author=Douglas P. Lackey |publisher=[[Rowman & Littlefield]] |date=1 January 1984 |isbn=978-0-8476-7116-8 |url=https://archive.org/details/moralprinciplesn0000lack/page/213 }}</ref>

In 1977, [[Protocol I]] was adopted as an amendment to the Geneva Conventions, prohibiting the deliberate or [[indiscriminate attack]] of civilians and civilian objects in international armed conflicts; the attacking force must take precautions and steps to spare the lives of civilians and civilian objects as possible.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/7c4d08d9b287a42141256739003e636b/f6c8b9fee14a77fdc125641e0052b079 | title = Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 1 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977 | publisher = The American National Red Cross}}</ref> Although ratified by 173 countries, the only countries that are currently not signatories to Protocol I are the [[United States]], [[Israel]], [[Iran]], [[Pakistan]], [[India]], and [[Turkey]].<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/States.xsp?xp_treatySelected=D9E6B6264D7723C3C12563CD002D6CE4&xp_viewStates=XPages_NORMStatesParties&redirect=0 | title = Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts (Protocol I), 8 June 1977 | publisher = International Committee of the Red Cross}}</ref>

Under [[international humanitarian law]] applicable to international armed conflict, enemy civilians and stateless persons or [[neutral country|neutral]] nationals outside the territory of a belligerent state are [[protected persons]] under [[s:Geneva_Convention/Fourth_Geneva_Convention#Article_4|Article 4]] of the Fourth Geneva Convention<ref name="HNMFG">{{cite web|url=https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/ihl-treaties/gciv-1949/article-4/commentary/1958?activeTab=undefined|title=Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. Geneva, 12 August 1949.: Commentary of 1958: Article 4 - Definition of protected persons|publisher=[[International Committee of the Red Cross]]}}</ref> and the 1907 Fifth and 13th [[Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907|Hague Conventions]] regarding the duties of neutrals on [[Land warfare|land]] and [[naval warfare]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/law8_final.pdf|title=THE LAW OF ARMED CONFLICT: Neutrality|publisher=[[International Committee of the Red Cross]]}}</ref> Only neutral nationals in the territory of a belligerent state (e.g., the taking of U.S. residents in Iraq [[hostage]] by Iraqi authorities during the [[Gulf War]] before January 17, 1991)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dd3c4CzKBlwC&pg=PA166|title=Contemporary International Law Issues: Sharing Pan-European and American Perspectives|date=March 1, 1992|publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |editor=[[American Society of International Law]], Nederlandse Vereninging voor Internationaal Recht|isbn=9-7890-0463-7863}}</ref> and citizens of an allied state (such as [[Marocchinate|rapes committed by French colonial troops against allied Italian civilians]] after the [[Battle of Monte Cassino]] during [[World War II]]) are not protected persons under the laws of war.<ref name="HNMFG"/>

The [[Rome Statute]] defines "intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population" in both international and non-international conflicts as illegal, but it only came into effect on 1 July 2002 and has not been [[ratified]] by every country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/law/icc/statute/romefra.htm|title=Rome Statute}}</ref>