Protecting civilians from consequences of conflict

The adage 'kings' battle, plebeians perish' still holds good in contemporaneous geopolitical and geoeconomic tensions.

- JOYDEEP BISWAS

Multidimensional protracted conflicts across regions and States have continued to adversely affect the protection of civilians and brought about catastrophic humanitarian consequences on them. The Global Risks Report 2025 ranked State-based armed conflict as the top risk for 2025.Torture, suffering, death, injury, forced displacement, and enforced disappearance of civilians have become very common narrations in armed conflicts. Over the course of the 20th century civilian fatalities in war climbed dramatically from 5 per cent at the turn of the century, to 15 per cent during World War-I, to 65 per cent by the end of World War-II, to more than 75 per cent in the wars of the 1990s. It is estimated that in recent times civilians consist of close to 90 per cent of recent war casualties.

The plight of women, children, persons with disability and older persons is pathetic. Women and children comprise the most vulnerable section and the vulnerability to radicalisation thrust upon them has increased manifold. They are the victims of unbelievably horrific atrocities and injustices in State-based armed conflicts. Women often experience violence, forced pregnancy, abduction and sexual abuse and slavery.

Violence against women in armed conflicts was devastating over the last two years. Compared with 2021-2022, women were killed in armed conflicts at a rate approximately four times higher between 2023 and 2024. According to causalities recorded by UN Human Rights, 21,480 women and 16,690 children were killed in conflicts during 2023-2024.