1949 - Human Rights, Social Justice

Human Rights, Social Justice

The Geneva Conventions adopted August 12 revise the conventions of 1864, 1907, and 1929. They provide for "free passage of all consignments of essential foodstuffs, clothing, and tonics intended for children under 15, expectant mothers, and maternity cases" in event of war but do not specifically outlaw sieges, blockades, or "resource denial" operations and do not address conflicts that are partly internal and partly international. More than 185 nations will eventually sign the conventions (see Vietnam, 1962).

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that "security of one's privacy against arbitrary intrusion by the police—which is at the core of the Fourth Amendment—is basic to a free society," but the 6-to-3 decision handed down June 27 in the case of Wolf v. Colorado holds that the exclusionary rule in the Fourth and Fourteenth amendments does not extend to state courts, and while evidence seized illegally is inadmissible in federal courts it may be used in state courts; about half the states will adopt the rule in the 1950s (see 1961).

A South African apartheid program takes effect in June under terms of the South African Citizenship Act (see 1948). The new government of Prime Minister Daniel F. Malan regards blacks as inferior; the act suspends automatic granting of citizenship to Commonwealth immigrants after 5 years and bans marriages between Europeans (meaning whites) and non-Europeans (meaning blacks or "coloreds") (see 1951; 1960).

China, Indonesia, and Costa Rica grant women the right to vote on the same basis as men. Chile grants woman suffrage after a long campaign, but women must vote separately from men.