SOURCE The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. Available from http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm

INTRODUCTION The four Geneva Conventions were adopted on August 12, 1949. For many years, they have enjoyed near-universal ratification, and they are often spoken of as a codification of customary international law. The other three conventions deal with different categories of war victims, namely the wounded on land (I), the wounded at sea (II) and prisoners of war (III). The first Convention was inspired by a Swiss businessman, Henry Dunant, in the mid-nineteenth century. The fundamental principle underlying Convention IV is that when a territory is occupied during an international armed conflict, civilians are to be protected from abuse and persecution. The Convention provides only limited coverage to noninternational armed conflicts,...